October 2006 Babies: Our Little Ones Are Arriving

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

http://img270.imageshack.us/img270/6628/glitteryourwayd13040feah2.gif

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/5716/glitteryourwaycb4675acod5.gif

http://img282.imageshack.us/img282/5351/glitteryourway5db4e98abm1.gif

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/598/glitteryourway8c92d75457f185e3ab0d04eaff7c0b8ahd2. gif 4 Boys, 1 Girl

1st (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=14860): Months 1-3 (1-13 weeks); 2nd (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=17630): Months 4-6 (14-26 weeks); 3rd (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=20438): Months 7-9 (27-40 weeks)
1st few months (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26083)


Threadmistresses: Ericka_Jarett and Michelle. Any questions or problems, pm: Oct06moms. Thanks

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

bunnybeth - Bethany, 28
DH: Elon, 28
Married: June 23, 2002
Due Date: October 25, 2006
NAME: Simon Maclaine
BIRTHDAY: November 1, 2006 @ 7:45pm
Weight: 8lbs, 2oz
Length: 21 1/2 inches
Simon (http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/cY2cW7qp)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bubeleh - H, 28
DH: A, 30
Married: March, 2003
Due Date: October 1, 2006
NAME: Ethan Asher
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 206 @ 3:41pm
Weight: 7lbs, 9oz.
Length: 21 inches
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dzmattie - Becca, 28
DH: 28
Married: 2002
Any other children: DS, 1/15/04
Due Date: October 14, 2006
GENDER: DD
BIRTHDAY: September 19th
Weight: 6 lbs
Length: 18.5 inches
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
emermel - Emily 28
DH: Todd 30
Married May 12, 2002
DD: January 17, 2004
Due Date:October 14, 2006
NAME: Madeline Samantha
BIRTHDAY: October 16, 2006 @ 3:03pm
Weight: 7lbs, 15oz
Length: 19 1/2 inches
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ericka_Jarett - Ericka, 32
DH: Jarett, 28
Married: December 14, 2001
Other children: Rebekah Joy, born April 18, 2005 at 24 weeks, with us 71 mins.
Due Date: October 4, 2006
NAME: Easton Robert
BIRTHDAY: September 5, 2006 @ 7:27pm @35w 6d
Weight: 5lbs, 6oz
Length: 19 inches
1 hour old & 2 1/2 weeks & 7 1/2 weeks
http://order.ducklingphoto.com/photos/93282540-S.jpghttp://order.ducklingphoto.com/photos/97220930-S-1.jpghttp://order.ducklingphoto.com/photos/105959798-S.jpg
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(mystery baby)
Hmdelf - Heather, 33
DH: Ed, 29
Married: October 11, 2003
Any other children: S, December 25, 2004
Due Date: October 18, 2006
NAME: Connor Dalton L.
BIRTHDAY: October 18, 2006 @ 12:58pm
Weight: 8lbs, 6oz
Length: 21 inches
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hula1974 - Heather
DH: Tim
Married: June 2, 2002
Due Date: September 29, 2006
NAME: Clayton Travis
BIRTHDAY: September 12, 2006 @ 3:00pm
Weight: 8lbs, 2.5oz
Length: 21 inches
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(mystery baby)
jbemommy - Shana, 33
DH: Doug, 41
Married: June 22, 2002
Any other children: Juliana, 2/3/04
Due Date: October 4, 2006
NAME: Steven Douglas, Jr
BIRTHDAY: September 16, 2006 @ 12:05am
Weight: 6lbs, 13oz
Length: 20.5 inches

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

jenniferlynne - Jennifer, 33
DH: Roger, 34
Married: June 8, 2002
Any other children: Will, born 4/24/04
Due Date: October 26, 2006
NAME: DD
BIRTHDAY: October 12, 2006 @ 5:16pm
Weight: 7lbs, 15oz
Length: 20 1/2 inches
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jenzen01 - Jen, 29
DH: Al, 38
Married: October 4, 2003
Any other children: Gabriel (Gabe) 12.21.2004
Due Date: October 16, 2006
NAME: Ada Grace
BIRTHDAY: October 17, 2006@ 6:00am
Weight: 9lbs, 7.5oz
Length: 21 inches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kenswife - Emily
DH: Ken
Married: February 3, 2004
Any other children: A & I
Due Date: October 7, 2006
NAME: Ty
BIRTHDAY: September 26, 2006 @ 7:52am
Weight: 7lbs, 5oz
Length: 20.75 inches
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KimberDK - Kimber, 32
DH: Dan, 33
Married: July 15, 2004
Due Date: October 12, 2006
NAME: Mia London
BIRTHDAY: October 8, 2006 @ 1:38
Weight: 6lbs, 9oz
Length: 19 3/4 inches
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KMM - Kellie, 30
DH: Dan, 30
Married: April 19, 2003
Other children: Dylan - August 29, 2003
Due Date: October 2, 2006
NAME: Allison Judith
BIRTHDAY: October 5, 2006 @ 3:09pm
Weight: 10lbs, 3oz
Length: 21 inches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lawgirl4 - Ericka, 31
DH: Rob, 36
Married: July 6, 2003
Due Date: October 12, 2006
NAME: DD
BIRTHDAY: October 19, 206 @10:32pm
Weight: 7lbs, 8oz
Length: 21 1/2 inches
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily - Erica, 27
DH: 34
Married: September 13, 2003
1st Due Date: October 4, 2006
2nd Due Date: September 26, 2006
NAME: Mahayla Simone (pronounced like MaKayla)
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 2006 @ 11:30am
Weight: 7lbs 2 oz
Length: 19 inches
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/pbd9f337fd1b84c951044d269fd13a101/ecaac874.jpg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia - Lydia, 28
DH: Matt, 28
Married: April 13, 2002
Any other children: Beautiful baby girl named Madison, April 24, 2005
Due Date: November 2, 2006
Name: Mason Francis
BIRTHDAY: October 19, 2006
Weight: 7lb 9oz
Length:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mamabear - Sara, 33
DH: David, 35
Married: 5/31/2003
Any other children:Alexander, 2/6/04
Due Date: October 15, 2006
NAME: Brendan Dacx
BIRTHDAY: September 17, 2006 @ 6:04pm
Weight: 5lbs, 9oz
Length: 18 inches

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

maplekitty - Sarah, 25
DH: Curt, 28
Married: August 27, 2005
Due Date: October 6, 2006
NAME: Robyn Abigail
BIRTHDAY: October 5, 2006 @ 12:15am
Weight: 7lbs, 15 oz
Length: 19 inches
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/p8e435bf139a9b15e2791b974bcc33c6e/eca483a1.jpg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(mystery baby)
marathongirl - Sue, 32
DH: Tim, 33
Married: December 1, 2001
Other children: Claire Sophia 09/16/04
Due Date: October 1, 2006
NAME: James David
BIRTHDAY: October 5, 206 @ 2:19 pm
Weight: 7 lbs
Length: 20 inches
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maxicat - Kim, 37
DH: 45
Married: May 11, 2002
Due Date: October 20, 2006
NAME: Lauren
BIRTHDAY:October 16, 2006 @ 1:01pm
Weight: 6lbs, 3oz
Length: 19 inches
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michelle - Michelle, 28
DH: Matt, 28
Married: August 30, 2003
Due Date: October 13, 2006
NAME: Madison Michelle
BIRTHDAY: October 22, 2006 @3:40pm
Weight: 8lbs, 8oz
Length: 20 inches
http://static.flickr.com/107/280649861_855d9bff12_m.jpg

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MichelleRenee - Michelle, 24
DH: Michael, 30
Married: May 29, 2005
Due Date: October 27, 2006
NAME: Tristan Michael
BIRTHDAY: October 27, 2006 @6:37pm
Weight: 7lbs, 8oz
Length: 20 inches
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/AngelyWangely/Tristan%20Michael/DSC00649.jpg
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MidwesternGal - Amy, 25
DH: Nate, 24
Married: January 10, 2004
Due Date: October 7, 2006
NAME: Benjamin EugeneLee
BIRTHDAY: October 14, 2006@ 11:31pm
Weight: 8lbs, 14oz
Length: 22 inches
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/october2006moms/MidwesternGal/October14-Benjamin.jpg

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Mommy2ml - Rebecca, 29
DH: Rob, 28
Married: August 5, 2001
Any other children: Mackenzie 1/12/2003
Due Date: October 5, 2006
NAME: Logan Henry
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 2006 @7:17pm
Weight: 6lbs, 5oz
Length: 19 inches
http://pics.livejournal.com/mama_of_mackie/pic/0000rww4/s320x320.jpg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(mystery baby)
Mrs-Mac - D, 29
DH: M, 32
Married: October 5, 2002
Due Date: October 23, 2006
NAME: Grace Elizabeth
BIRTHDAY: October 14, 2006
Weight: 7 lbs
Length: 20 inches
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nigellas - Kerry, 29
DH: Chris, 30
Married: August 7, 2001
Due Date: October 24, 2006
NAME: Alexander Donald
BIRTHDAY: September 20, 2006
Weight: 5 lbs, 7 oz
Length: 19 inches
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/nigellas/alex002.jpg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pamela - Pamela, 26
DH: 26
Married: June 13, 2004
Due Date: October 4, 2006
NAME: DD
BIRTHDAY: September 19th at 9:16am @ 37weeks 6days
Weight: 5lbs 10oz
Length: 19 inches
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PinkMartini - Summer, 24
DH: Jeremy, 33
Married: June 17, 2006
Due Date: October 17, 2006
NAME: Jacob Michael
BIRTHDAY: October 19, 004 @3:44am
Weight: 8bs, 12oz
Length: 22 1/2 inches
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/PinkMartini/Jacob1012.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/PinkMartini/Baby005.jpg
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(mystery baby)
quartercentury - QC, 27
FH: 27
Married: not yet; together since Xmas 2000, engaged since June 2005
Due Date: October 21, 2006
NAME: DS
BIRTHDAY: October 31, 2006
Weight: 7lbs 15oz
Length: 21"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Pumpkin%20Baby/Jude1.jpg

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Rippy1010 - Ally, 29
DH: Jeff, 30
Married: July 23, 2005
Due Date: October 1, 2006
NAME: Logan Anthony
BIRTHDAY: September 24, 2006
Weight: 7lbs 13oz
Length: 21 inches
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/pbdf4e2f88dfa1378faf21db500d88e97/eccadeed.jpg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roxygirl - Marissa, 27
DH: R, 26
Married: July 10th, 2004
Due Date: October 9, 2006
NAME: Kendall Renne
BIRTHDAY: October 9th, 2006 @ 6:57 am
Weight: 8lbs 14oz
Length: 20 1/2 inches
http://www.cmphotocenter.com/is/ImageServer.psp?Cmd=RenderImage&width=300&height=400&I=img10%3A%2F%2F67679%2FIMG_2254
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She-ra - Sheila, 34
DH: Charlie, 35
Married: September 28, 2002
Any other children: Charles Henry (Charlie) 3/30/04
Due Date: October 13, 2006
NAME: Henry Allan
BIRTHDAY: October 4, 2006 @ 1:01pm
Weight: 7lbs, 8oz
Length: 21 3/4 inches
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SlvSpring - Oona, 26
DH: Josh, 28
Married: July 30, 2005
Due Date: October 21, 2006
NAME: Jack Randall
BIRTHDAY: October 19 2006 @9:25pm
Weight: 7lbs, 8oz
Length: 19 1/2 inches
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/october2006moms/SlvSpring/slvspring.jpg
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sua - 36
DH: 38
Married: November, 2002
Other children: Greyson 3/7/04
Due Date: October 13, 2006
NAME: Drew
BIRTHDAY: October 5, 2006
Weight: 8lbs 4oz
Length: 21 1/2 inches
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TaterBaby - Emily, 27
DH: Josh, 26
Married: May 22, 2004
Any other children: m/c at 10 weeks with D&C - Aug 05
Due Date: October 4, 2006
NAME: Emily Elaine, - nickname-Lainey
BIRTHDAY: October 7, 2006 @5:18 am
Weight: 7lbs, 8.5oz
Length: 20 inches
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k176/chiogirl_01/PA240090.jpg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tika
Married: October 2002
Due Date: October 13, 2006
NAME: DS
BIRTHDAY: September 26, 2006 @6:32pm
Weight: 5lbs, 7oz
Length: 19 inches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twink: Lynne, 29
DH: Brian, 30
Married: October 5, 2002
Due Date: September 26,2006
NAME: Joseph Parker
BIRTHDAY: October 4, 2006 @ 5:50pm
Weight: 8lbs, 8oz
Length: 21 inches
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Our Thoughts: Twylla, dlj78, happy, kate2l, kerrykate

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/sweet_nlovely/boy.gif http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/7774/glitteryourway84eaca0495bbc84d8465e06eb293ecbcfr6. gifhttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/sweet_nlovely/itsagirldoll.gif

9/5 * Ericka_Jarett - Easton Robert
9/12 * Hula1974 - Clayton Travis
9/16 * jbemommy - Steven Douglas, Jr
9/17 * MamaBear - Brendan Dacx
9/19 * Pamela -DD
9/19 * dzmattie - DD
9/20 * Nigellas - Alexander Donald
9/24 * Rippy1010 - Logan Anthony
9/25 * Mommy2ml - Logan Henry
9/25 * Bubeleh - Ethan Asher
9/25 * Lily - Mahayla Simone
9/26 * Kenswife - Ty
9/26 * Tika - DS
10/4 * She-Ra - Henry Allan
10/4 * Twink - Joseph Parker
10/5 * marathongirl - James David
10/5 * Sua - Drew
10/5 * maplekitty - Robyn Abigail
10/5 * KMM - Allison Judith
10/7 * TaterBaby - Emily Elaine
10/8 * KimberDK - Mia London
10/9 * Roxygirl - Kendall Renne
10/12 * jenniferlynne - DD
10/14 * Mrs-Mac - Grace Elizabeth
10/14 * MidwesternGal - Benjamin EugeneLee
10/16 * Maxicat - Lauren
10/16 * emermel - Madeline Samantha
10/17 * Jenzen01 - Ada Grace
10/18 * Hmdelf - Connor Dalton
10/19 * PinkMartini - Jacob Michael
10/19 * Lydia - Mason Francis
10/19 * lawgirl4 - DD
10/19 * SlvSpring - Jack Randall
10/22 * Michelle - Madison Michelle
10/27 * MichelleRenee - Tristan Michael
10/31 * quartercentury - DS
11/1 * bunnybeth - Simon Maclaine

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3571/glitteryourway31bb6f47a3e43d66242a6ba9384a1d0erk8. gif
(For posting birth stats & well baby visits that follow : 1 week appt, 2 week appt, 1 month appt, etc.)


Easton Robert
Birth: 5lbs, 6oz & 19"
2 weeks: 6lbs, 0.5oz & 19"
3 weeks: 6lbs, 8.5oz & 19"
5 weeks: 8lbs, 4.5oz & 21"
10 weeks:

Clayton Travis
Birth: 8lbs, 2.5oz & 21"

Steven Douglas, Jr
Birth: 6lbs, 13oz & 20.5"

Brendan Dacx
Birth: 5lbs, 9oz & 18"

Pamela - DD
Birth: 5lbs, 10oz & 19"

dzmattie - DD
Birth: 6lbs & 18.5"
1 week: 5lb, 12oz

Logan Anthony
Birth: 7lbs, 13 oz & 21"
1 week: 7lbs, 10oz & 21"
2 week: 8lbs, 4oz & 21"
1 month: 10 lbs 6.7oz & 22.85 inches

Logan Henry
Birth: 6lbs, 5oz & 19"
1-2 Weeks: 6lbs, 9oz and 20"

Ethan Asher
Birth: 7lbs, 9 oz & 21"
2 Weeks: 8lbs, 3oz & 21 2/3"

Mahayla Simone
Birth: 7lbs, 2oz & 19"

Ty
Birth: 7lbs, 5oz & 20.75"

Tika - DS
Birth: 5lbs, 7oz & 19"
1.5 weeks: 5lbs, 12oz

Henry Allan
Birth:7 lbs, 8 oz & 21 3/4"

James David
Birth: 7lbs & 20"
1 Week: 6lbs, 15oz & 20"

Drew
Birth: 8lbs, 4oz & 21 1/2"

Joseph Parker
Birth: 8lbs, 8oz & 21"

Robyn Abigail
Birth: 7lbs, 15oz & 19"

Allison Judith
Birth: 10lbs, 3oz & 21"

Emily Elaine - nickname: Lainey
Birth: 7lbs, 8.5oz & 20"
2 Week: 7lbs, 14oz & 20"

Mia London
Birth: 6lbs, 9oz & 19 3/4"

Kendall Renne
Birth: 8lbs, 14oz & 20 1/2"

jenniferlynne - DD
Birth: 7lbs, 15 oz & 20.5"

Ada Grace
Birth: 9lbs, 7.5 oz & 21"

Grace Elizabeth
Birth: 7lbs & 20"

Benjamin EugeneLee
Birth: 8lbs, 14oz & 22"

Lauren
Birth: 6lbs, 3oz & 19"

Madeline Samantha
Birth: 7lbs, 15oz & 19 1/2"

Ada Grace
Birth: 9lbs, 7.5 oz & 21"

Connor Dalton
Birth: 8lbs, 6oz & 21"

Jacob Michael
Birth: 8bs, 12oz & 22 1/2"
1 week: 8lbs, 13oz & 22 1/2"
2 week: 9lbs, 1oz & 22 1/2"

Mason Francis
Birth: 7lbs, 9oz & _____

Lawgirl - DD
Birth: 7lbs, 8oz & 21 1/2"

Jack Randall
Birth: 7lbs, 8oz & 19 1/2"

Madison Michelle
Birth: 8lbs, 8oz & 20"

Tristan Michael
Birth: 7lbs 8oz & 20"

QuarterCentury - DS
Birth: 7lbs, 15oz & 21"

bunnybeth-DS
Birth: 8 lbs, 2 oz. & 21.5"

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Constant Chatter Links
0-18 Months (http://www.constantchatter.com/forumdisplay.php?f=105)

Tickers:
Baby's First Site (www.babysfirstsite.com) * Baby Gaga (www.baby-gaga.com) * Lilypie (www.lilypie.com) * Ticker Central (www.tickercentral.com) * Ticker Factory (www.tickerfactory.com)

Invitations/Announcements
2Peas1Pod (http://2peas1pod.com/) * 5StarBaby (http://5StarBaby.com) * BabyGrams (www.babygrams.com) * Baby J Cards (www.babyjcards.com) * Bella Baby (www.bellababy.com) * Celebration Cottage (www.celebrationcottage.com) * Classic Card Company (www.classiccard.com) * In A Baby Carriage (www.inababycarriage.com) * Invitation Box (www.invitationbox.com) * Inviting Smiles (www.invitingsmiles.com) * MetroBaby Cards (www.metrobabycards.com) * Mommy's Miracles (www.mommysmiracles.com) * My Gatsby (www.mygatsby.com) * Naptime Cards (www.naptimecards.com) * Photo Stamps (http://photo.stamps.com/PhotoStamps/?source=si10985886) * Purple Stork (www.purplestork.com) * Custom Craft (http://www.shopbirthannouncements.com/) * Simply To Impress (www.simplytoimpress.com) * Stork Avenue (www.storkavenue.com) * Tiny Prints (www.tinyprints.com)

Baby Shopping Sites:
Baby Age (www.babyage.com) * Baby Ant (http://www.babyant.com) * Baby Bazaar (http://www.babybazaar.com/) * BabyBox (http://www.babybox.com/) * Baby Center's Store (http://www.store.babycenter.com/) * Baby Depot (http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/IWCatSectionView.process?Section_Id=1395&lc=ln) * Baby Dilly (http://www.babydilly.com/) * Baby Dreams (http://www.babydreams.com/) * Babies R Us (www.babiesrus.com) * Baby Style (http://www.babystyle.com/) * Baby Universe (http://www.babyuniverse.com/) * Carousel Designs (http://www.carouseldesigns.com/) * Dimples & Dandelions (http://www.dimplesanddandelions.com/index.asp) * Dreamtime Baby (http://www.dreamtimebaby.com/) * Elegant Baby (http://www.elegantbabygifts.com/) * Fisher Price (http://www.fisher-price.com/us/default.asp) * Gap (http://www.gap.com/) * Graco (http://www.gracobaby.com/default.aspx) * Gymboree (www.gymboree.com) * In The Treetop (http://www.inthetreetop.com/default.aspx) * JCPenney (www.jcpenney.com) * Land of Nod (http://www.landofnod.com/) * Little Show Offs (http://www.littleshowoffs.com/) * Net Kids Wear (http://www.netkidswear.com/) * Nursery Depot (http://www.nurserydepot.com/) * Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com) * One of a Kind (http://www.oneofakindkid.com/) * One Step Ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com) * Pokkadots (http://www.pokkadots.com/index.cfm) * Pottery Barn Kids (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/) * Signature Baby (http://www.signaturebaby.com/) * Target Baby (http://www.target.com) * The Baby Marketplace (http://www.thebabymarketplace.com/) * The Children's Place (http://www.childrensplace.com/) * Tutti Bella (http://www.tuttibella.com/) * Wendy Bellissimo (http://www.wendybellissimo.com/home/index.php) * Overview Baby Skin Products (http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=14)

Breastfeeding
Ameda (www.ameda.com) * Breastfeeding (www.breastfeeding.com) * Boppy (www.boppy.com) * KellyMom (www.kellymom.com) * La Leche League (www.lalecheleague.org) * Maternal Concepts (www.maternalconcepts.com) * Medela (www.medela.com) * Mothering (www.mothering.com) * ProMom (www.promom.org) * Whisper Wear (www.whisperwear.com)

Formula Feeding
Bright Beginnings (www.brightbeginnings.com) * Enfamil (www.enfamil.com) * Similac (www.similac.com) * Very Best Baby (Nestle Good Start) (www.verybestbaby.com)

Diapering Info: Some have coupons & contests
Cloth Diapering (http://www.borntolove.com/404page.html) * Huggies (www.huggies.com) * Luvs (www.luvs.com) * Pampers (www.pampers.com)

Slings
The Hip Hugger (www.thehiphugger.com) * About Babies Inc. (www.aboutbabiesinc.com) * Maya Wrap (www.mayawrap.com) * New Native Baby (www.newnativebaby.com) * Prenatal Cradle (www.prenatalcradle.com) * Baby Bjorn (www.babybjorn.com) * Baby Wearer (www.babywearer.com)

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Our first October baby is here! Open for posting!

[Ericka_Jarett]

I figure ill crosspost again, and be the first baby post.
(Jarett posting... )



Easton Robert, born 9/5/6 @ 7:27pm. 5 pounds, 6 ounces. 19 inches long.

http://order.ducklingphoto.com/photos/93282540-S.jpg
http://order.ducklingphoto.com/photos/93281537-S.jpg

Mommy and baby are doing great. He will be in the NICU for a while (5 weeks early). But he is actually wanted to feed within the first hour, so that's a great start. He is still having trouble regulating his temp, so thats the next big step.

http://order.ducklingphoto.com/photos/93282698-S.jpg

8/9 on the Apgars, and very attentive to the surroundings.

PM me for his first photo gallery link. Or check back to my journal.

Ericka had about 90 minutes of hard pushing, after a few hours of pitocin, and manual membrane rupturing. She did great. And if anyone here is thinking about not getting an Epidural, I just have to say you are crazy :P

(Ericka will update this later when she has computer access again)

[Sua]

Just following the link over here after seeing the photos of adorable Easton Robert! Ericka and Jarett, he is just gorgeous! Congrats to you both! Great work, there Momma!!

[kenswife]

YAY!!!! Congrats Ericka and Jarett!!!! What awesome news to come and see in here!

Hope you are completely enjoying your little boy!

[Michelle]

Congratulations Ericka and Jarrett!!!!!! :)

[Roxygirl]

Congrats Erika and Jarrett. Welcome baby Easton.

[maplekitty]

Congrats Ericka and Jarrett!!!

Welcome to the world, our first "October" Baby, Easton!!! :D

[MamaBear]

Wow!!! Our first baby is here! Congrats Ericka and Jarrett and welcome Easton. He is so cute!

I can't believe that the babies are starting to arrive.

Sara

[Quartercentury]

Welcome, Easton! :)

I was just thinking yesterday how lucky we are, that we haven't had any severely premature babies or other major scares. And five weeks early and over five pounds is fabulous. Here's hoping he can come home soon.



We got the disappointing news last night that the women we'd wanted to hire as a doula won't be available after all... We were both really partial to her just for the fact that she's American, so knows where we're coming from as far as birthing in a strange place, as it were. Now we're going to be stuck with English people! :p

[KMM]

Congratulations Ericka and Jarett and welcome baby Easton!

[marathongirl]

Congrats Ericka and Jarrett! Welcome baby Easton! I can't believe how alert he looks! :D So handsome too!

[dzmattie]

Congratulations Erika!

I had tears in my eyes as I read the post. (Hormones I know - but very happy that your little man is here and healthy and happy!)

[marathongirl]

My appt yesterday was uneventful. K2 sounds good, BP and weight were good. Went over my birth plan with the OB. So now we just wait. My next appt is 9/12.

[Rippy1010]

Congratulations, Ericka & Jarrett!! Nice to meet you, Easton! :)

I'm glad that everything turned out fairly well. Sending prayers that Easton's stay in the NICU will be a short one. He looks great ... and what a cutie! I'm so excited for you!

[Mrs-Mac]

Ericka,
So happy for you that Easton is healthly and doing well. Congratulations!!!

Can't believe the first October baby is here!!!

[Jenzen01]

Holy buckets! I can't believe our first baby is here!

CONGRATS ERICKA AND JARRETT.
WELCOME EASTON!!!!

I went home early yesterday because I had so many BH contractions. A little nap on the couch did a world of good, and I'm feeling pretty normal this morning. Achy, but normal.

And, the best news of the day ... I was supposed to take pictures at a wedding on Sept. 23 (I'd be full term) two hours from my hospital, and I was getting really nervous about it. I emailed the groom yesterday to tell him he better have a back-up plan, and he has already found someone, so I'm off the hook! Sweet, sweet relief.

Jen

[Hula1974]

Congratulations Ericka and Jarett and welcome baby Easton!
What great news to pop in and see!

[Maxicat]

Wow, congratulations Ericka, Jarrett and Baby Easton. How wonderful for all of you. Thanks for the headsup about the Epidural.

[Tonysweetie]

Just popping in from the April 2007 Mommies to say congratulations to ERICKA AND JARRETT on their new baby boy Easton! I love that name BTW! Congrats again and God Bless!!!

[lawgirl4]

Congratulations, Ericka & Jarrett!! What wonderful and exciting news! So glad all is going well.

******************************

My 35 week appt yesterday went well - everything was routine, though I did have the GBS test (not sure when I get results from that). My OB is switching practices 10 days before my due date, and once she's in the new practice it's basically guaranteed that she'll be delivering me - yay!

My next 2 appts are 9/19 and 9/26.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

[Mommy2ml]

CONGRATS!!! Erika and Jarrett and welcome Easton!!!! :D
------------
Wow! Time sure is flying!

I started applying the EPO last night and plan to continue til baby is here.

Saw the dermatologist this morning before work and she said the rash on my leg is harmless. If it is still there after the baby comes she can give me a strong steroidal cream to use to get rid of it, but they try not to Rx thise during pg. But at least she said all is well. While there I got a full skin check since I have been horrible and never went to a derm before, and all is well with that as well :)

The pelvic/hip/butt/upper leg pain is still quite difficult to bear. I hobble along best I can and do somewhat fine while sitting, but getting up and walking around is difficult at best! :P I have an appt with my Chiro after my OB appt tomorrow, so lets hope he can help me with that. Last night, Rob tried to massage the areas at the tops of my legs and hips that hurts and he said the pain seems mostly at the joints... so I know it's directly related to the relaxing and loosening of my joints. I am still trying to go out for walks each day when I can to try and keep things moving and get a little exercise though.

I am off for my walk I think... more later! :)

[MichelleRenee]

Ugh.. I just got a call that our pre-natal classes will not start tomorrow... they will start next week instead. I knew I should have done an earlier class. Now we won't be finished until I am 2 weeks away from my EDD. I hope we aren't cutting it too close...

[Pamela]

Congratulations Ericka and Jarett! He's beautiful!!

[Quartercentury]

Now we won't be finished until I am 2 weeks away from my EDD. I hope we aren't cutting it too close...
We're starting next week, too, and ours don't finish until four days before my EDD. I signed up in April and this was the first session that had space!

Must return to packing... Big move is tomorrow...

[Rippy1010]

Sorry, girls, but you are going to hear some complaining out of me. :rolleyes:

My feet look so grotesque these days. They are so incredibly swollen. I only fit in my flip flops right now (and even then, my feet are falling off the sides, and the "thong" part of the flip flops make huge indents in my swollen feet). Of course, we can't wear flip flops to work ... so today I went to Famous Footwear to get at least one pair of shoes to get me through the next 2-5 weeks. I tried on the largest pair of shoes I could find, which was a 9-1/2 ... THEY STILL DIDN'T FIT!!! I'm normally anywhere between a size 7-1/2 and 8-1/2!!! I feel like a circus freak! So ... I still don't have any shoes that fit me and my freakishly enormous feet. Can't go shopping tonight, because we have our newborn care class. So, I guess tomorrow night I'll have to go try DSW after work. Guess work will have to put up with me wearing my "dressiest" pair of flip flops for a few more days. :mad: :(

[Mommy2ml]

Rippy, maybe you can ask if you can wear sneakers to work? I find when I wear socks and sneakers it seems to cut back on my foot swelling... at least the part that seems to happen during the day. Payless I believe has up to size 12 or so and would be cheap so you can toss em out when your feet de-swell :)

I am still playing with the idea of drug free vs. epi. I don't think I can really make any sort of decision until I am there, having the baby and see how I am feeling then though. At this point, as long as baby and I come through healthy, I don't care anymore. Right now I am just looking forward to being able to move faster than a snail without feeling extreme pain and discomfort :p

Eevry day I have been waking up and wishing I could forget about work and just sit at home and rest... and every day I go in anyway and feel yucky and uncomfy and wish I could go home. Yet I am just as uncomfy at home as I am at work, so I might as well be earning some $$ while I can right?

I was out for a walk over lunch with a friend (I know, glutton for punishment:p) and wound up having to RUN across half the street cause cars were coming towards us from both directions! OWCH!

Oh yes, and now my feet go numb when I sit for too long :p

And I have a new guy to train, so this morning and yesterday morning I basically was sitting for a good 3+ hours straight for training him.

Anyone else get sudden bursts of feeling out of breath and like something is sitting on your chest, with your heart beating fast? I get that 2-4 times a day and when I bother to check my pulse it's up around 110-120, yet most of the time I am just sitting there! Then it just goes away after a bit. I must say I am not terribly concerned... though it has reminded me the cardiologist wanted to see me end of this year to recheck my murmur! Better call for an appt!

[Rippy1010]

Mommy2ml ~ I literally cannot get anything more than my toes in to any of my sneakers right now. It's pretty sad. LOL! But, I guess if I can find a sneak to fit my foot in to, I can try it. But, that would only solve my problem on the days I wear pants/nice shorts. What do you do on days that you wear dresses or skirts?

[Mommy2ml]

I wear 'em anyway. Not like I can see my feet anymore anyhow, right? Comfort over fashion while pg IMHO! LOL No one where I work cares much what's on my feet lately anyhow, at least not that they have mentioned to me :)

I DO have a pair of shoes I can wear to work though, in addition to sneakers... I bought them back when I was pg with Mackie and kept them even though they were big on me once I was not pg anymore. I got them from Easy Spirit and they even have these bumps on the insoles that massage the bottom of my feet! I rediscovered them recently and find them even more comfy than my sneakers some days :) They are flats and have the stretchy elastic on either side and are simple black shoes I can wear with trouser socks or something. Most of the other shoes and boots I got for while pg with Mackie I did not get till the winter (she was a January baby) so I have not been able to wear them since my feet would sweat in them... these seem to work now that it's fall though :)

[MidwesternGal]

CONGRATS to Ericka and Jarrett on the arrival of EASTON!!!!

[Jenzen01]

Rippy - Hey! I wear a 9-1/2 on a regular day!! :)

[She-Ra]

Congratulations Ericka & Jarrett! What a cutie-pie!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------

No wonder I didn't get any notifications today. :)

[bunnybeth]

Congratulations Ericka and Jarett! What a beautiful baby boy! :)

Paternity leave DH will be taking off 2-3 days, maybe another day or so if I end up needing a c-section. My mom will be taking a week off to come over during the day (she lives 2 miles away so no overnights) once he goes back. DH is a teacher and it's frowned upon to take many days off even for a new child, probably because there's so many built-in days off on the school calendar, so every day counts a lot.

Trying to keep up in here, I've been skimming over the threads since my last visit, but it's still quite hectic at work. DH got the new shade and shelving hung in the nursery over the weekend, and the window is going to get fixed tomorrow. Then, we can put together the crib. My shower is on Saturday and I'm also hoping to start sewing the curtains for the nursery. Otherwise, I've been seriously registry-stalking, I'm so bad. Not much is gone yet, so I'm guessing everyone's waiting until the last-minute or buying clothing. Ah well, at least we were saving up money before TTC, so we should be ok either way.

New question What are you (planning on) wearing during labor? My hospital doesn't care if I wear their gowns, something else, or nothing at all. (Although decency is required if wandering the halls.) Trying to get some good ideas for a non-gown option to bring along.

[Mommy2ml]

QOTD - I plan to use the hospital gowns and slipper socks during labor. Things get really messy during delivery and I don't want to have anything ruined if I can help it.

When I had DD, not only were things messy during delivery and afterwards when she was laid on my tummy, but I also puked during transition, which is pretty common from what I have heard and been told. The ease of simply chnaging to a new hospital gown while they changed the sheets was much better than if I had to pack up a pukey night gown or something and then deal with it a couple of days later when we got home :P

I should also mention, I had to change the slipper socks as during the move from the LDR room to my pp room the slipper socks I was wearing got blood on them (I won't gross you out with the details though ;))

I can also say I ruined the sweats I wore home from the hospital, along with 3 pr of inderwear that I wore while there and to go home with. So be sure not to bring anything to wear on your bottom half that you would be upset if it got stained or ruined.

HTH

[Jenzen01]

clothes for labor - I, too, plan on using the hospital gown, but I'm bringing my junky robe and some slipper socks. I'm also bringing a sports bra that I can use in the whirlpool.

[maplekitty]

clothes for labour - I plan on wearing the hospital gowns, for the same reason mommy2ml explained. I do plan on bringing my own robe, and socks. I've also been told by various friends to just wear the mesh panties they give you until you go home. At our hospital they give you two pairs, and I've been told to just wash and rinse out one pair, hang to dry while I wear the other, and so on. No need messing up a pair of undies when you don't have to.

[Mommy2ml]

I would do the mesh panties if the hospitals by us had them... they don't :( But yeah, if they offere them, get them. I will be buying a couple of pack of cheap cotton granny panties soon to pack in my bag.

[She-Ra]

QOTD-I'm using the hospital gowns. Just easier IMO. I will have my own jammies & socks for after delivery.

One thing I am remembering this time is a headband or hair clip. When my hair is pulled into a ponytail, my longish bang type pieces fall foward & they BUGGED me so much during labor & delivery, but all I had were rubberbands.

I am packing MUCH MUCH lighter this time. 1 very small bag. DH had to make a few trips to bring all of our stuff out, and it was really annoying. I hardly used anything I brought, plus people always bring/send gifts you need to carry.

[Rippy1010]

Labor/Hospital Clothes ~ I'm also going with the hospital gown, so as not to get any clothes stained. I'm also going to use they mesh panties (gotta find out if they offer them); if they don't offer them, I'm going to take some old undies that I don't care about throwing out. Old socks, and old robe for the same reason ... can throw out if they get stained.


Jenzen ~ Hopefully I didn't offend. I was just meaning that I can't believe my feet are so swollen that they are more than TWO SIZES larger than my norm! I didn't fit in the 9-1/2s, or else I would have just borrowed some of my sisters shoes. LOL!

[Jenzen01]

Oh, Rippy, I'm just giving you a hard time! :) One of my great pregnancy fears is that, as my mom claims, "my arches will drop" and I'll have to go up a size in shoes. I really don't want to have size 11 feet. It's hard enough finding 9.5/10s! My mom says she went up a half size with every baby. :eek:

[Sua]

dzmattie - I know you have mixed feelings re: the scheduled c-section, I can totally relate, even though I've been there before. Please dont hesitate to ask any questions, I'll try my best to help. Plus, I am declaring October 5th a very good day to have a scheduled section. :)

Jenzen - Hey yourself on the 11's! ;) Course, two and a half years after my son was born, I'm still clinging to a closet full of 10's hoping my change in size is only temporary. :P

Hospital stuff - I ditto She-Ra's suggestion to pack light. Bring a big enough bag to stash as many mesh underpants as you can, but try to wear the same thing to the hospital that you can wear home, etc. Dont forget the good lip balm or socks. This time, if people bring me big plants or even large bouquets, I am going to ask them to bring it by our house for me (on some night when they should also bring dinner :P). I hated hauling out so much stuff last time. The first car ride with baby is stressful enough without eight trips to and from the car to load stuff and a dozen mylar balloons rapping you in the face.

[maplekitty]

QOTD:
Is anyone else totally starting to break out!??!
It's like my body is gearing up for birth and my hormones are changing, and suddenly I'm breaking out like I did in my first trimester. I'm not liking this because I've had really nice clear skin for 98% of my pregnancy and now it's all changing again!! :(

[SlvSpring]

Congratulations Ericka and Jarrett!! Baby Easton is a gorgeous little boy! I hope he able to be out of the NICU very soon. :)
________________________

Just have to add that I am a big-footed woman too ;) Size 10 here. I have been living in flip-flops for the last 2-3 months or so. Luckily I am a preschool teacher and flip-flops are OK at my work. I surely hope I don't go up a size either!!!
Good luck finding shoes, Rippy!! I definitely feel your pain. :)

QOTD's-

I plan on wearing the hospital gown too from what I've heard about everyone is mentioning about the mess and not wanting to dirty your own stuff. I will have to pick up some slipper socks though!! I wonder if I should buy a robe too? I don't have one and I wonder if I feel more comfortable with one afterwards?

Breaking out- I did have that problem in the 1st trimester and have had it off and on every now then lately. Like one day a ton and the next week nothing at all.

[emermel]

Congrats Erica and Jarrett!!

QOTD: Breaking out: YES! I have a HUGE mountain on my forhead right now. DH was kind enough to point it out last night.

I second (third?) the packing light...however, I don't recommend wearing the hospital gown the whole time (after delivery that is). You will probably want to get up and move around and walk the halls. I was VERY sore after delivery and the only relief that I got was to move around periodically. Holding a gown shut while trying to keep your balance walking like you've just been on a horse for a week is hard. :p I used DH's scrub bottoms, but I would definitely plan on having some sort of PJ's. Remember, you will have visitors coming in too...it sure made me feel a little more human to shower, change into cute jammies and throw on a little makeup (LOTS of concealer to cover the dark circles under my eyes!) when the first round of visitors came through.

My little one had the hiccups for the first time last night and has had them for a good portion of today too. Now that she's running out of room, she gets me in the ribs every time she hiccups...ouch!:eek: DD#1 had them all the time...come to think of it, she still does!

Hope everyone is doing well! It's hard to believe that a month from now we may have a whole gaggle of babies around here!

[Nigellas]

Welcome to the world, Easton. :)

[Tika]

Congratulations Ericka and Jarrett! Hope your precious son get to go home soon!

QOTD--- I plan on using the hospital gown the day of the c-section, but hopefully wear some pjs or at least a robe the next couple days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not much going on with me. Things are still crazy at work, but considering that I only have 2 weeks and a couple days left before I go on leave, it’s expected.

My next appt is on Sept. 14th.

[KMM]

Rippy-I am right there with you on the feet swelling. My feet are so huge by the end of the day! Both sideways and heightwise. I can only fit into flip flops and they leave indentation marks. They don't hurt, they just feel really...tight I guess would be the word.

I had my OB appt yesterday. I was happy to see that my BP was still low despite the swelling. All was well with the baby and I had my first internal exam- cervix is softening but no dilation yet. I was crampy last night from the exam. The dr I saw, while I'm sure would be fine during delivery, was so cold in the office. He didn't even offer to help me sit back up after the HB&internal exam. I'm glad he is not my contact dr. I will be seeing my dr from here on out.

Next appt is 9/14.


QOTD1- I am planning to wear the hospital gown during labor and after until I can shower then will probably wear something of my own that I don't mind being ruined. On the advice from the childbirth educator- I wore Depends with pads in them until I went home and even a few days after. They were awesome because they held everything in place and were disposable. I haven't decided if I'll be bringing them along again. They were so embarassing to buy. :D

QOTD2-My face has been bad this whole pregnancy. It got better the 2nd tri but recently has gone back to looking like it did in middle school.

[marathongirl]

QOTD1 - I'll just wear the hospital gown during labor. Things tend to get pretty messy and I don't want to ruin my own stuff.

QOTD2 - my face is a little worse, but not terrible, thank goodness.

I got a 'job' last night. I use the word job lightly because I'll only be working about a hour or 2 a week. It's at DD's preschool and I'll be a playroom monitor for 30 mins a few days/week while the teachers prep in between the morning and afternoon sessions. But hey, money is money, right? After 15 months of being a SAHM, I'm starting to really feel the need to contribute at least a *little* financially.

[Rippy1010]

RE: Breakouts

My face started breaking out again in the last 2 weeks, also. It's sooo annoying. And, just in the last few days, I've started breaking out on the tops of my shoulders. :confused: WTH is THAT about?!


Re: Hiccups It seems like baby has them at least twice a day now. They are actually starting to feel a little annoying. And, it's a pain because you want to be able to do something to stop them, but can't. Poor little guy. :(

[MichelleRenee]

Breaking out, I was just commenting this morning on how my face and shoulders are starting to break out again. Very annoying!

Hiccups, he gets them 3 or 4 times a day. Sometimes it annoys me because it makes me nauseous, but overall it's kinda fun to have this "movement" that will continue long enough for others to feel.

I can't believe I will be 33 weeks tomorrow!!

[Mommy2ml]

She-ra-I also plan to pack lighter! LAst time there were at least 2 trips to the car with stuff before Rob even took us to the car!

Another thing I plan to bring wth me this time I could have used last time... a pentaflex type folder with lots of pockets. It will already have the insurance forms and info and numbers and such I need in it, then I can add the coupons and information stuff and papers that I get at the hospital, rather than bringing home bags and bags of stuff to go through eventually at home. We missed out on using many coupons cause they were buried in a bag instea dof out where we knew about them and could use them!

Jenzen-I went up a full size in shes last time, but this time have not at all - I used to be a 7.5-8 and now am a 8.5-9.

Also, I plan to send things home with Rob the day before we go home. things like any laundry or things I find I don't need there, presents, etc. That way there's less to take home on the actual going home day.

qotd-I started breaking out before I even got my BFP. With every surge of hormones I get a new break out. this pg has been better than last time though. I also get break outs with AF though, so I am used to dealing with it. I might get some treatment from my dermatologist, now that I have one, after the baby is here if it continues.

Enermel-I wore 2 gowns at a time. One that tied in back, and the other backwards so it tied in front. That way, I was covered. I figure wearing the gowns while there will also cut back on what I have to pack for myself an dthen take home too. :) They will give you fresh gowns if you ask, so whenever I cleaned up I got new gowns so I felt fresh and clean for a while.

kmm-I have heard Depends can be useful that first week or 2... I have been considering using them instead of buying granny panties that I would just have to toss out anyway...
-------------

I see my cardiologist and my OB today.

Seems like everyone is contacting me all of a sudden... they all want to see me while I am "still pregnant" :rolleyes: So now I have 12 appts and 2 people to see (so far) plus Rosh Hashanah, in the next 17 days. Talk about crazy!:eek: It'll be nice to be able to just sit and let people come to me after the baby comes... I can use the "break" LOL

I starrted using the EPO cas this week and have been drinking more RRL tea too, so hopefully things will be moving along for us soon! :)

[Nigellas]

Pediatrician? I’m not sure if this was covered before or not- Sorry if it’s a repeat… Anyway – I’ve been starting to think about pediatricians and not really sure how to move forward. Do I just call and see if they are accepting new patients and then go from there? Do I need to have this in place before the babe comes? I'm feeling so clueless!

[Mommy2ml]

I would call around to local peds on your medical plan and ask for an interview appt. They do them for new parents to be. Get a list of qwuestions together to ask the doctors and bring them and extra paper and pen to take notes. go with the doctor(s) you are most comfy with and who seem to agree with your projected style of parenting.

We chose our ped this way, but decided we did not like them by the end of the first year. We then switched to new ones recommended by friends and have been with this group since just before Mackie turned 1. We're just going to stay with them for this DS as well.

You do need peds lined up before the baby comes, because you will need to start bringing the baby for regular visits starting at about a week old to check weight/length/head circumference and to vax if you plan to and it is good to have a regular ped or group of peds so that is your baby does get sick, you have a place to go besides the emergency room or clinic whwere they will know you and your baby and be familiar with health and family history, etc.

Questions to ask a prospective ped can include things like their views on BFing and FFing, co-sleeping, delayed vaxing, etc. Anything that is important to you to either do or not do, you should ask about. Last thing you need is to get in with a ped who is going to make you unsure of or start doubting your stance on certain things that are very important to you as a parent!

Most docs won't always see eye to eye with you on everything, but make sure to aks about what is MOST important to you. Also feel your gut reaction to the doctor and the staff and the waiting room/office/exam rooms. Is the waiting room or waiting rooms big and spacious? Are there things for your kids to do while you wait? Is the staff friendly and helpful seeming? Does it feel/look like it'd be easy to roll a strolelr in through the waiting room and into the exam rooms? Is it cramped feeling or spacious? Is there a seperate area or hours for sick and well visits? Do their hours coincide with hours that would allow you to not leave work early or go in late for well visits? do they have urgent visits or clinic type hours or sick call? Does the office look clean and in good condition overall? What are the office policies on cancellations, postponements, no shows, etc? Is there more than one doc in the office at a time to cover sick and well visits? Do the doctors seem open to listening and spending time with you to address all your concerns? Are you kept waiting a long time?

Stuff like that... HTH!

[She-Ra]

Nigellas: Yes, I would first see if they are accepting new patients. When doing research for ours, I have found that a lot of ped offices have websites, and it might state if they are accepting new patients there. You can also usually download a registration form,since you might not be able to physically go to the office.

We did a scheduled touring visit with ours & filled out paperwork that day.

With this baby, they just said to call to schedule a 5 day appt after he was born since we, as a family, are already in the system.

[maplekitty]

Baby Muffin is getting hiccups almost all night long. Although cute, and fun to feel...it keeps me awake and is getting annoying. I also feel bad for her, poor thing!

Oh and swollen feet - mine are at ginormous proportions now! And they are so swollen, I have this sore red crease mark at the top of my foot where it bends at the ankle...and it's so dry and itchy and sore!! :(

And my hips and thighs hurt! In my prenatal class, the lady says this is a sign of pre-labour! It feels like I've been out running a marathon, so achey!! :(

[Rippy1010]

Ped ~ I won't answer the how-to, since two ladies did a great job at that. Just wanted to say that at our newborn care class last night, they did tell us that they will need to know your pediatrician at the hospital, because (at our hospital) the peds will come in to check in on the newborns, or if there is a problem your ped will be contacted by the hospital to come in, or - at the very least - the "big practice" peds will call in and see if there was any babies "borne" to their practice so that they can register them, etc.

I don't know if that's just my hospital, or if it's pretty typical. But, just wanted to tell you what we learned last night. :)


maplekitty ~ I have that red crease on the top of my foot too. OUCH!!



Today I'm having major groin pains. Almost as bad as the day after my internal last week. I think I had some cramping this morning, too ... but I was chalking it up to gas pains for the most part. Who knows. I have my next appt tomorrow ... with another internal. I'm wondering if I'll have ANY progress!!! Also, FINALLY, our childbirth class is on Saturday and my shower is on Sunday. I can't wait for the childbirth class to be over ... especially since I'm fearing I'll be in more discomfort from the Friday internal. :p :rolleyes:

[Mommy2ml]

maplekitty-I hope she's right about it being a sign of prelabor, I am so tired of this pain it's unbelievable!

[bunnybeth]

clothes for labor Thanks for the tips and ideas. I like the slipper socks idea, I bet those would be better than just socks, and I have an old pair. As well as a robe that needs to be replaced. Old stuff should be more comfy anyways. Oh, but for the slipper socks, does it matter if they don't have rubber bottoms/traction? I don't want to slip around too much on the floor.

breaking out Yes, I noticed it this week, I hadn't had much for months now, but now it's all over the place...

pediatrician At my hospital, if you don't have a ped picked out (or don't have one that has rights at the hospital) they will send the on-call ped to do the initial check up after the baby is born. But, you take them into the office so soon after birth, it's good to have them picked out beforehand.

[Mommy2ml]

bunnybeth-I liked having the kind with the grippers/rubber on the bottom because it allowed me to walk around without slipping more easily, both while in labor and after baby was born.

[MichelleRenee]

And my hips and thighs hurt! In my prenatal class, the lady says this is a sign of pre-labour!

Serously?? My inner thighs hurt SO bad, all the way up to my girly parts. I keep saying I feel like I have been riding a horse or something. It seriously hurts so bad that I have trouble getting up and walking. It especially hurts at night, so getting out of bed for trips to the bathroom is almost excruciating.

I guess I should mention this at my appt tomorrow?

[MichelleRenee]

Check this out:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/bythenumbers/2006-07-31-us-population-300million_x.htm

The 300 millionth American is supposed to be born in mid-late October.

But Peter Francese, founder of American Demographics magazine and a demographic trends analyst for New York ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, says Oct. 27 is the statistically likely date, as well as the 300th day of the year.

That is my EDD!! How fun!

[Delta]

Just a little FYI - you don't have to have an internal exam if you don't want one. It's your body, your labor. I've read a few posts here about cramping and discomfort afterwards...keep in mind it's up to you if you want to get it - don't just submit because the doc tells you to. They don't really tell you much anyway. You could be completely closed up up and have your baby 12 hours later, or you could be walking around totally effaced and 4 cm for 2 weeks. :)

[maplekitty]

For RO's - When you finally started dilating, did it actually feel different? DId it feel more tender down there, or did you actually feel "wider"? I know that sounds like such a weird question, but I swear it feels more tender down there and I'm wondering if I'm actually feeling myself dilating??

[Jenzen01]

maplekitty - I didn't feel any different.

However, I will say that I had quite a few other signs that I should have paid attention to, and I didn't realize they were signs of labor until after I had Gabe. :) About a week before I had Gabe, I had some serious BH contractions. I also just hit a point of "I can't do this anymore." I felt "off" and everything just seemed weird. I had bloody show on a Saturday morning --- really should have paid more attention to that. It was a light pink fluid when I used the bathroom --- and then had a few contractions that night. I continued having little bursts of fluid, and then had more bloody show on Monday morning. At that point, I knew something was just not right. Turns out I was leaking fluid for a few days. So, moral of the story, if you ever have little bursts of fluid, seriously think about going to the hospital. :) Toward the end, I just couldn't read my body anymore because it was doing so many things that I wasn't used to seeing ...

[Rippy1010]

but I swear it feels more tender down there

That's so weird ... me, too!!

[lawgirl4]

truly a naive question here - why, other than the potential discomfort, would one *not* want to have an internal exam? I would really like to know, just out of curiosity!! :)

I'm having my first internal at my next appt and while I am sure it won't be the comfiest thing ever, I am also just kind of excited to hear how things look in there since I'll be 3 weeks away from my EDD. I totally understand that I could be dialated and/or effaced and that might not mean labor is imminent, but then again, a little progress is still progress, and it still seems exciting to me to know what my body's up to, even if it doesn't reveal a whole lot.

[maplekitty]

Rippy - are we having the same pregnancy??? :D ;)

lawgirl - I would think for some people who have the first internal, and it seriously hurts, and may hurt for days after - they should know that they can say no to more at their upcoming appnts. if it's something that they just don't want to experience again until the actual birth.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Hi ladies,

Thanks so much for the comments about my precious Easton. He is such a handsome baby and can't believe he is all ours. :) I just got in from the hospital today. My OB's came in to check on me this morning and she was pushing for me to stay 1 more day since insurance pays for 3 days, but the nurses assured her that today was day 3 to them and wouldn't pay. So I was discharged and we went to see my little peanut. We arrived to see a little note from the nurse about him. He weighed in last night at 5 lbs 5oz and is trying his bottle feedings but gets tired quick so they have to tube feed him at times. He got increased to 30cc's today and the doctor told us that he is doing great, just needs to get the bottle feeding down and his weight up because of it. He said he wants him to reach 60cc's before he can come home, so this mommy is praying hard that he gets up to that before mid next week. We are just so in love with this little guy. He was very alert yesterday while we were there that we got to give him his feeding. He drank 26cc's with me (he was on 20cc's minimum yesterday) spit up about 1cc of it, but we were so thrilled. We got to see his eyes which are just like his daddy's. Jarett would say something to him and he followed his voice and would look right at him. Earlier we went to see him while he was still in the heat bed, before he got moved to an open air crib, he was screaming, I talked to him and he immediately quieted down and calmed down, it was so awesome.

I typed up his whole birth story and the following day and will post it in my journal and possibly in here, will see how long it goes in a posting.

QOTD- the stuff for hospital during labor: wear the hospital gown and a pair of junky socks. I wore the gown the whole time, it didn't get bloody but my nurses were constantly changing the bed pad to prevent the mess a bit. Only time I needed to change my gown after delivery was with my 2nd bathroom trip when I just gushed in the bathroom before I could get the gown up, my socks got a spot of blood on them during this time. I just used a 2nd gown when I walked to SCU (special care unit) and a pair of slipper socks the hospital supplied. I used gowns the whole time I was in, since they want you to have the back open while seating so they can check your stomach and your stitches (if you get them for a tear) and your blood flow. Plus if you need to pump much easier to pull the gowndown than try to deal with your own clothes should they not be easy to lift or such. We had my mom and her friend visit us only, but even if others came I didn't care if they saw me in the hospital gowns, rather they have the bloody mess to clean up than me having stained clothes that I would need to treat and wash.

QOTD - dilating, I didn't feel any difference in my cervix. I was 1cm witht he pessary and when it came out within mins I went to 3-4cms (I had no pain or pressure at all) and within an hour was already 5-6cms (my contractions were not super strong that I could even tell I dilated more) After my water was broken that is when I could feel the most changes as I had lots of pressure low on the left side of my body. That was really the only place I had enough pressure to let me know I had to push. It was intense even with an epi, but so glad I got one as the pain would have had me through the roof, as it was I was ready to jump out of the bed with each pang of pressure I had.

Well, I will post my birth story in my journal now and than I am off for a little nap until we head back to the hospital. We have several hundreds of pictures that we have taken so far. A few of them are here: Easton Robert (http://order.ducklingphoto.com/gallery/1858267)

Hubby is working on a slideshow for the baby shower on Saturday (yes it's still on, just will be without the baby there and no more pregnant mamma) Even if Easton wasn't in the hospital until at least the weekend or more, he wouldn't be at the shower as we are getting into RSV season, so Jarett would have stayed home with him while I went to the shower.

Apartment - the guy that is renting called us to ask some questions, we can be moving as early as this weekened it looks like if we wanted to, probably be next weekend though, just have to call him back to answer a few questions since we were a little busy :) when he called us.
Excited to see who will be the next mommy.

[maplekitty]

Hi Ericka!!! So glad you're home and doing well, and Eston sounds like he's on the road to being a healthy little guy who's ready to go home too!

[Delta]

truly a naive question here - why, other than the potential discomfort, would one *not* want to have an internal exam? I would really like to know, just out of curiosity!!Well, on the personal preference side I just don't find it the least bit enjoyable having fingers jammed up into my vagina every week when it doesn't really tell you anything anyway. ;)

Also, some doctors do strip membranes without telling the patient beforehand - no chance of that when you don't have an internal in the first place.

Every internal you have also increases the chances of introducing bacteria into the birth canal. If you are GBS positive you should be especially concerned.

In normal, healthy pregnancies they just aren't necessary, really, and usually just serve to irritate the cervix. The cramping and discomfort people are feeling may be 'normal' after an internal, but that doesn't mean it's 'OK.' :)

I mean, if you are curious to know then by all means have one. It's just that I personally don't feel they are worth it to me, and I find some people don't even realized that they are 'optional.'

[Ericka_Jarett]

Regarding internals - sure they can introduce infection, but you don't really get the exams until the last few weeks of your pregnancy. I have been having exams since 16 weeks and never got an infection from them. Granted I had the incompetent cervix so had to be checked, but had I not been, I never would have realized how fast I dilated on Tuesday after my pessary came out, and than how soon after I went into labor I would be delivering. I say if you want one, go for it. If you don't feel comfortable with getting one done, don't bother. It's up to you. For me personally, I liked knowing what my body was doing, since my u/s showed I was 100% effaced already. I went from 3-4 to 5-6 in about an hour, than complete about 2-3 hours later. They told us alot about my body and gave me a good idea of what was happening with my body.

They are not super pleasant, but if you can just think on something else, they really aren't that bad. Having had a cervical check for 20 weeks, I was quite use to them and my cervix actually sits really high up. You can get your antibiotics at the first sign of an infection, sometimes you have an yeast infection and don't even know it. My doctor spotted my first one, I had no symptoms of it, he noticed it. Rare occassion you may have a doctor that strips you, but most will just let you decide what to do about it. My doctors would never do anything without talking to me first.

Just like if you want to be induced or not. My doctor let me decide if I wanted to be induced or just let my body take it's time moving. We didn't want to risk an infection so we went with the induction, she explained the pros and cons to being induced or not, she gave us the time we needed to decide. Once the meds were started and before she broke my water, was able to get an epidural if I wanted it.

Talk it over with your husband since it's your baby. I am glad Jarett was with me to help me decide what to do about an induction. I knew what was going to be involved and that it would be painful, but we did what we felt was right. We never did childbirth classes and really, we didn't need to worry about it. The nurses told me what to do before hand and my doctor talked me through everything as we went. I breathed how I felt I needed in order to get past the pain and pressure at the moment.

It's a personal choice so do what you feel comfy with. Talk to your husband discuss as you need to. For me I am glad to have the checks done.

Good luck mommies. I will be around even if I don't post will be reading along. Lots of my time will be spent at the hospital until my baby gets to come home.

[Michelle]

Congratulations again Ericka! I'm so glad to hear that Easton is doing well! He'll be home before you know it! :)

[MidwesternGal]

Good to hear from you Ericka! I hope Easton can come home next week!

QOTD Hospital Gowns: Hmm, maybe I will only pack a going home outfit now and some granny panties. Whoever mentioned the Depends, that is a FAB idea!! Then I could wear more "normal" comfy clothes and not worry so much about bleeding on them.

QOTD Breaking Out: I've always had large pores and some blackheads. I haven't really noticed too much, actually, my skin has been a *little* better, not as ruddy complexion as usual. However, my armpits have been sweating like crazy!
_________________
Had my appointment today. She did the GBS test. I was a bit embarrassed because my butt was stuck to the flimsy paper on the examining table when I lifted it for the test! Cripes.

BP was good, but high for *me.* Usually I'm around 90/60 or 100/70 and today it was 120/70. Still totally acceptable though.

I didn't look at weight gain, I figure it's pointless. Especially because I treated myself to a chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard and corn dog after my appointment! :rolleyes: Whoops!

Next appointment is Sept. 14.

Oh, and I asked her about BH contrax, and pain in hips/thighs, and loss of mucus plug and she says that while they are a sign up upcoming labor, we are all pretty much at the point where "upcoming" labor could be up-coming anywhere from tomorrow until a week after our EDD! LOL. I've been feeling rather left out of the "ooh labor should be soon" club because I haven't had any of those symptoms. So that made me feel a little bit better. However, I'd still like some symptoms so that I felt I was making progress. . . sort of like how lawgirl4 wants the internal to feel she was making progress (I'm the same way!)!!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Midwestern - I would check with the hospital about what pads they have. I only needed the big pads (like Depends) for the first day and a half. I moved down to medium size pads (thick overnight pads) early yesterday afternoon. If you need the big pads for more than 2 days something may be wrong down there. You will bleed the most with the first 2-3 bathroom trips, after that it should slow quite a bit. If I didn't have a hemorrhoid, I would move to the thinner pads, but right now I need that extra padding. My swelling is gone down quite a bit and the tear the OB today said wasn't too bad looking and was healing nicely. Just something for you to think about, before you go and buy too much stuff that you won't need possibly.

[lawgirl4]

Ericka - what a sweetie little Easton is! and it sounds like he is doing so well. congratulations again - he's a lucky little boy. :)

*********************************

thanks for the feedback on the internals - I guess that since I trust my OB's judgement, I would never doubt that she'd be doing something that I wouldn't want her to do.

[KimberDK]

Ericka - CONGRATULATIONS! Easton is so beautiful. You wouldn't know to look at the pics that he is even a preemie at all, he just a perfect little baby boy.

Rippy - A girl in my yoga class actually got a doctor's note saying that she needed to wear flip flops to work. If you really aren't comfortable at all in anything else, you should probably be able to do that too, couldn't you? The girl I know works in a professional office that would never normally permit flip flops, but apparently with the doctr's note, they really had to.

Mommy2ML - Yes! I have suddenly been having big breathing problems. I just get winded and light headed for almost no reason at all, and if I don't lie down immediately I start seeing spots and feel like I will pass out. This just started in the last week.

Packing light - I knew that I wanted to pack light and I was so proud of myself that I had everything I needed in one small suitcase. Then we found out that our hospital has an incredibly short supply of pillows and you need to bring your own. And my husband insists that we need to pack them in a suitcase, I don't know why. We needed a large (regular vacation size) suitcase to fit the pillows. So now we will be arriving with 2: my little one and a big one of pillows. And it will be just as cumbersome as if I hadn't bothered to pack light in the first place. What a waste of all my effort!

Photos - Today I did a professional belly photo shoot. I used a studio I had never used for anything before, I just found them on the web and liked their pregnancy pics, so I booked them. It was really, really fun and I'm glad I did it. They are mostly nude or semi-nude, although we did some fully clothed, and others kind of draped in fabric so I am not actually clothed, but nothing indecent is showing either. I had the option of bringing my husband to do some of us together, but he wasn'r into it and I didn't care enough to push for it. I really just wanted these for my own posterity, to remember how I looked pregnant. I'll get the pics next week, but I think at least some of them should be good. I also really loved working with them, so if I like the pics, I will definitely go back to them to do newborn pics once Mia is here.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Packing - we packed the duffel bag on wheels we have (only bag we had at the house at the time). I had clothes for Jarett, my clothes and a few tanks in case I leaked or needed them (didn't wear one until today, just stayed in the hospital gowns, was much easier since they have to check how you are healing) I also had 2 outfits for Easton in there (preemie and 0-3 months) and receiving blankets too. Glad we had the bag I did, because we took the breast pump parts, the extra pads, a bag of laundry, a gift bag that my mom's friend gave us, my mom's little plane and bear as well as all the paperwork the hospital gave us. The SCU nurse than gave us another patient belonging bag with bags of bottles as well, so we came home with a lot of items and that bag was handy to hold it all.

P.S. - something to make sure to buy, lollipops if you are getting an epidural. After I got it, needed something to kill the metallic taste, charms lollipops worked great for this. They will be your best friend. :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link to a slide show that Jarett put together (10 mins long), only try to open it if you have broadband, it's a lot of photos and if you are on dial-up it will take a longgggggggg time. There is sound, so make sure your sound is on. Enjoy

Easton's Slideshow (http://www.ducklingphoto.com/easton/) username is: Easton, password: 9506

[dzmattie]

Packing - I packed very light for DS - figuring I would only be in the hospital for the standard 2-3 days - now - since I had some complications I was there for 6 days and DH had to keep bringing me more clothes b/c I wasn't comfortable wearing gowns all the time walking around. I wore T-shirts and maternity sweatpants or shorts or BIG nightgowns that I had that were comfortable for nursing. I also leaked alot and went through alot of nursing bras - I will be packing alittle more this time around since we will be be have the c-sec - but probably not too much as I have heard they prefer you wear the gown for the first couple days to check after the section....anyone else find this?

For the RO's - I am interested in hearing your plans for DC #1 - I know we discussed awhile back but now that we are close - what are you planning for labor/delivery? Will your DH stay with you at all in the hospital or go home each night to DC? How much each day to you plan to have DC visit you? Do you want your DC to see baby before any other family?

Our plan is for the c-sec on Oct 5th but I have to be at the hospital at 5:30am :eek: - so my parents will be coming the night before and mom will come with DH and I to the hopital and Dad will stay with DS. Mom will stay with us until we are moved to a room and then will come home to see DS - they will give him a nap and then bring him to the hospital around 3pm - I am hoping I feel alittle better by this time b/c I don't want him to see me completely yucky or miserable. IL's will come after dinner (if they listen which I am insisting on) - DS will go home after an hour or two I imagine....

DH is going to play it by ear - he wants to go home that night so DS doesn't think "oh this baby arrives and I lose both parents" - but if I am not feeling great he will stay with me this night only. Since I am having the baby over Columbus Day weekend - my parents are off for three days which is nice and will just stay as much as we need.

That is our plan - who knows though right??

[Rippy1010]

Question ...

I'm reviewing the birthplan form that BabyCenter has on their website, so that I can ask questions/discuss at today's appointment.

Would you like 24-hour rooming-in with the baby
or
Would you only like to room-in with baby when you are awake?

I haven't been able to decide. Would I like to catch up on some sleep before going home to sleep deprivation, or should I just get used to getting up in the middle of the night while I'm at the hospital?

[She-Ra]

Rooming In: Baby will be definitely rooming with us the entire time, as DS did. I don't want to risk a nurse giving him a bottle. Also, there are so many nurses & staff coming in & out that I didn't get that much sleep anyway, even when DS was sleeping.

RO Labor/Delivery Plan: We are calling my mom & step-dad when I go into labor. They will either meet us at the hospital or come to our house, depending on what time of day it is, and if DS is at home or at school. DS came about 8 hours after my water started breaking, so everyone is concerned I'll go really quickly this time. Of course, my mom is torn between staying with DS or being at the hospital, so we are playing that by ear. My neighbors offered to watch DS also, and my MIL & sister are local, so it really just depends on the timing.

DH will be staying at the hospital with me at night. DS sleeps from 8pm-7am, so he won't really be affected. I'll prob have DH go home & put him down, just so he doesn't feel to neglected.

[Jenzen01]

Hi, all.

Just checking in and trying to catch up on the thread from yesterday.

I had my dr. appointment yesterday afternoon, and all is well. I waited about an hour to see the dr. because they were so backed up, and I had the last appointment of the day. Nice.

I'm measuring about 36 weeks. Baby sounds good. BP was good. I didn't even pay attention to the scale. I'm on a 1-hour-from-the-hospital travel restriction until baby comes. No internals yet. My dr. said he doesn't do them until the very end, and they don't tell much anyway. Darn it! I sort of wanted one. :)

Next appointment is Sept. 19.

He gave me a bunch of sample medication for my allergies. He said at this point in the pregnancy, medication is pretty safe. I'm going to try a nasal spray, which he said pretty much stays localized, anyway.

Jen

[Mommy2ml]

internals-I feel good about getting them myself. Nice to know if I am makig rogress... plus I know of several people who have gone in for regular checks and found out they were dialated to like 4 or 5 and were sent right over to the hospital to have the baby. They were so uncomfy, they had not noticed there was a pattern to it and they were already in early active labor! :eek:

Maplekitty-I saw the doc the day before DD was born and at that point I had made no progress whatsoever. then I woke in labor the next morning LOL You could also be feeling the baby's head dropping down into your pelvis.

Erika-Glad to hear you're home and doing well! I hope little Easton is home with you soon! :)

Midwestern gal-y'know, my butt stuck to the paper yesterday too! LOL

Lochia-Everyone bleeds differently. I bled for a good 2-3 weeks after DD was born and used I think a good 3 pkgs of the overnight heavy with wings pads iirc. I am starting to think that a pkg of Depends might be a good idea :)

Kimber-I would discuss the short of breath and seeing spots and lightheadedness with your doc. It seems I have a fast pulse, and possibility of some other stuff (I will go more detailed below).

Pillows-I am a little ticked to have to bring my own pillows as well, but will just stuff them into a big plastic bag I think...

DC#1 plans-Depending on the timing, DD will be in school/DC for the most part. If the birth goes late orthere are any complications, my parents will pick her up and take her to dinner with them. If she needs to she can stay over with my ILs since they have a spare bed and bedroom for her to sleep in. Rob will not be sleeping over with me. What we did last time we're goign to do again... he will stay with me until baby and I are settled into our room and then he'll head home. The time that happens will determine if he takes Mackie home with him or if she sleeps over with my ILs. The next 2 days she will be in d/c and either Rob or my parents will pick her up and take her to visit us in the hospital. Assuming I go on the day planned for induction - Monday the 25th - I will be headed home on that Wednesday.. so not too much has to be done as Mackie will mostly be in school the majority of that time. The 2nd night Rob will most definitely be home with her for bedtime.

24hr rooming in-Definitely. This hospital supports the boding experience 100%. they do take the baby for a few hours for observation at first, after you have a couple of hours with him... but then unless you specifically request baby stay in the nursery he comes to be with you pretty much the whole time you're both there. That is really how I am most comfortable anyway. I know I don't get much of any sleep in the hospital anyway an dthe early bonding experience is most important to me :)

----------

So I went to see my cardiologist yeserday, just to be sure I am not having any effects from my murmur. He say s all seems fine, except my pulse is running high. I need to drink more water as there is a chance I am a bit dehydrated. Plus, I am to come in next week and get fitted with a halter monitor to wear for 24hrs. He wants to be sure there is nothing to these "spells" of shortness of breath and lightheadedness are not from my heart in any way.

My OB appt went well. Baby is head down and likely to stay that way from here on it. the pain and discomfort I have been feeling is from the baby's head getting lower and lower in the pelvis and is totally normal. Cervix is softening nicely and beginning to dialate, though not measurably yet. I can continue with the EPO each night. She thinks I need to drink more water too, agrees with my cardiologist it's likely mild dehydration causing the issues with my pulse and breathing. So more water it is! I will still go for the halter monitor to be on the safe side though, just in case it's something more.

11 more days of work.17 days till induction day. next appt is still scheduled for 9/14.

[MichelleRenee]

My appt today went fairly well. I gained too much weight again. (8 pounds last month, 9 pounds this month) Never in my life have I had to deal with weighing too much...

They did take an additional urine sample to test for a UTI. I should have the results of that soon.

I had a ton of back pain last night and my groin pain continues. The Dr. told me to take Extra strength Tylenol to deal with that. Hopefully it will help. I am so ready to have this baby!

My next appt is September 29.

[maplekitty]

We had our prenantal class last night, and I learned that you can actually ask to delay the eye ointment they put on baby for atleast 2 hours. This is because those first 2 hous the baby is in a very quiet alert awake stage, and this is a great opportunity to lay skin to skin and look at each other and really start to form your bond. After that they usually go into a dep and usually long sleep (sometimes up to 8 hours) and that would be a better time to put the ointment in. Also learned, from DH, that he's allergic to the active ingredient in that ointment (erythromycin). So I need to ask my doctor if that's a type of allergy that would be passed down, if there is another form of ointment that can be used, or we can pass on the ointment altogether.

QOTD:
Rooming-In - absolutely! I want my baby with me at all times, or under the watchful eye of DH if taken away to the nursery for whatever reason. I don't want baby given a bottle or paci without my consent and I think I'll feel in a very protective nature where I just want her with me. Obviously there are circumstances beyond your control, if the baby needs to be in NICU...but if I have the option I'd like her with me 24 hours.

[Ericka_Jarett]

maple - that's funny that they said that at your class. They put the ointment in Easton's eyes after birth and he was very alert and had his eyes open for a good hour or more after birth. Just something to know.

[KimberDK]

Another QOTD, if it's ok:
Sorry if this was discussed at an earlier time. I am wondering if any of you are using a doula during labor? A had not even considered this - my husband is very supportive and I just figured he'd do a great job of helping me, massaging, encouraging, whatever. But every time a girl in my yoga class delivers, she emails her birth story to the teacher, who then reads it aloud in class. So, by now we have heard a bunch of birth stories - and the yoga girls are a lot more graphic and detailed than the girls in here, so we get a lot of info (sometimes too much, maybe, but good to know). Anyway, it seems like the ones who have doulas (even if they also have a helpful husband) have such a tremendous appreciation for the doula, and always say how much of a difference she made. They describe how the doula knew exactly how to massage the right way to provide counterpressure for the contractions (whatever that means, it sounds helpful), and knew exactly what to do to encourage them to stay focused, to breathe properly, and to push or not push when appropriate. I am suddenly feeling like a doula has the following advantages over just having my husband there: she has been through many, many labors; she is not emotionally invested so she is possibly more likely to stay focused and calm; her sole job is my care (as opposed to the nurses, who are experienced, but dealing with other patients at the same time).

At first I thought maybe having a doula would decrease the intimacy of the birth, like make it less about me and my husband by taking on his duties. But I just read the following on the website of a local doula agency:
A doula can actually bring a couple closer together. The doula makes sure that the father’s needs are met so that he can meet the needs of the laboring mother. By having a doula, he can participate at his own comfort level without having to remember “everything” that he and mom learned in childbirth class. Studies show that fathers also experience fear and tension during the mother’s labor. A doula’s presence and knowledge can break the fear-tension-pain cycle for the mother and father. Many times fathers worry that they are not doing enough or the right thing. A doula helps him to care for and support his partner by giving suggestions, providing encouragement or giving needed breaks during a long labor. One study showed that 60% of fathers that have taken childbirth education classes become mostly a spectator, as they become overwhelmed with the surroundings and events. The feeling of insecurity and lack of knowledge of what is happening takes its toll on both parents.


And some of the stuff they do, according to the same website (they had a long list of services, this is just a few that stood out to me):

Providing continuous support during pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period. Unlike medical and nursing staff, we do not change shifts at any time.
A few of the comfort measures that we use are: aromatherapy (fragrant oils and lotions) to enhance relaxation and well-being; breathing techniques to maintain adequate oxygenation of mother and baby and to relieve tension; hydrotherapy to relax muscles and increase buoyancy which relieves stress and music therapy which balances the mind-body connection.
Assisting the mother and her partner to create the birth experience they want and desire!
go out for food for the partner
get extra pillows, blankets, ice chips for the mother
take pictures
advocate on the mother’s behalf. By this, doula’s do not impose their own choices on the mother; instead, they educate them about the risks and benefits and help the mother to convey her wishes and desires to her health care providers



So...I am feeling like all this sounds pretty good, but I don't feel sure about what to do. I asked DH and he said the labor is all about me and he supports whatever I want and choose (good boy!...but not helpful in decision-making). I asked my mom (who is going to be present at my labor) who said "What are you even thinking about? Go for it!" I asked a friend who said "I would want to share labor with just my husband".

What do you all think? Anyone doing this or any ROs have done it? Any thoughts about it?

[Ericka_Jarett]

QOTD - I definately wouldn't have wanted a doula. My husband was super supportive and helpful to me while I was in labor. He felt bad he couldn't do more for me, but the only thing he could have done was have the baby for me. He got wet washcloths for me without me even asking for them and kept refreshing them. I had the nurse and my doctor there as well as hubby and that was plenty. The doctor talked to me as I was in between pushes and the nurse was mainly just the other person aside from hubby to hold my leg up and back. I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. Too many people in the room is no good either, because if God forbid we had an emergency and I had to get out of the room fast for a C, it's more people to have to get moved out of the way, during precious mins.

I hear they can be helpful at times, but for me, nothing short of someone else taking over the labor pains was going to be of much help to me. I breathed how I wanted to help myself get through the pain, hubby just kept encouraging me. There was just something about it just being so few people during my labor and delivery that just made it so intimate feeling.

Hope you find what is best for yourself. For me it was just hubby and I with 2 hospital staff.

[bunnybeth]

Ericka Glad you and the baby are doing well. He is just such a cutie. Hope you have fun at your shower this weekend!

Rooming-in I'm planning on having the baby in my room whenever he can be. I figure I wouldn't get great sleep anyways, and I want to be able to start getting used to his schedule while I'm still in place with nurses just a call away.

Internals Just curious, what exactly do they do for the internals? I've gotten my cervix checked a couple of times already (every time I had the spotting) and while it was uncomfortable during, it never caused me cramping/pain afterwards at all, so I'm wondering if an internal exam is more than just a quick cervix check.

Doulas I think having a doula sounds like it could be great. But, between me being very uncomfortable around strangers, and the cost of having one, I don't think it's going to be something I'll do myself.

My goal for today is to try to figure out my maternity leave exactly. I have my plan (last day of work Oct 6) but I have some questions to ask before everything is finalized. Only about 4 weeks of work left, wow.

My shower is tomorrow, so that should be fun. Mother-in-law arrives tonight and will be staying with us for the weekend. Time sure is flying!

[Michelle]

Rooming In: We actually don't have a choice. If everything goes well and there are no complications, she will be rooming in with us. The hospital that we are giving birth in got rid of the nursery 7 years ago and has been rooming in since then.

Doulas - Nah, I considered it but my DH should be pretty supportive. Besides, if I'm emotional and in pain I won't feel guilty yelling at him for no reason! :)

Internals - I have an appointment next week when I'll be 36 weeks. I'm kind of hoping to get one since I'll be getting the swab test anyway. Now I'm a little weary after hearing how painful they are!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I'm starting to feel more pelvic pressure, especially when I get up from sitting down. Everything I've read says that I'll be feeling less movement from baby because she is running out of room. Not my baby. She is still one busy bee! She still likes to get some good jabs at me in!

Is anybody getting nervous about driving? I was sitting at a traffic light on the way home from the grocery store last night and felt a sharp pain in my stomach. It went away but it was painful for a little while. That definitely made me think about driving! I'm thinking that when I'm on the freeway, I'll start playing it safe and drive in the right lane just in case I ever have to pull over!

Have a great weekend everybody! For those of you having showers, have fun! :)

[Mommy2ml]

internals-It is just a cervix check. Sometimes when you are later on in pg your cervix gets more sensitive, so it can cause some cramping and such afterwards for some.

doula-I think having one would have helped me immensely the 1st time around, but not only was it cost prohibitive for us, but I also wanted it to be just between me and DH and only necessary medical people. This time it is still cost prohibitive, but I think DH will be more of a help and I will be more aware of what I need to ask him to do and when. I think if your goal is to do a drug-free, low to no intervention natural birth, then a doula can help you make that happen if you can afford one. If you plan for an epidural or other drugs, then it's likely not even worth it anyway IMHO.

[Rippy1010]

Re: the internals ...
I have to disclaimer my previous statements (since I was one of the ones mentioning how much pain I experienced) by saying ... I have always had problems in this "area". I usually always experience more pain than "the norm" for any type of penetration at all. Even DTD can be quite unpleasant for me at times. I asked her if I experienced a normal amount of pain, and if my "recovery time" after the internal seemed longer than normal. She said that it was a little worse than normal, and so next time she would try using a LOT of gel to see if it's better.



My doctor's appointment today ... first, had me aggravated. I waited an hour before I was seen, and then the appointment lasted about 8 minutes. :mad: :rolleyes: I'm going to try to get my last few appointments to be first thing in the morning, I think, so that they don't have time to get so backed up! Anyway ... we discussed the birthplan, and she said everything that I requested sounded fine and there wouldn't be any problems with anything. We skipped the internal this time, but I'll definitely be having one next Friday. We discussed the increase in swelling (because now my legs AND feet swell very badly from just above my knee and all the way down ... the skin is all shiny from being stretched so tight ... and also when I get up in the morning, my hands are swelled to twice their size). She said that since there is no protein in my urine, and my BP is still perfect, it's no cause for concern. But, if it's causing great discomfort, I might start to think about stopping work soon. She said baby seems to feel about to be a little over 7lbs right now. And my GBS was negative, also. Let's see ... I think that was about it. I told her that I was using large pieces of my mucus plug earlier in the week, and she was pleased with that and said "oh, well hopefully we will learn something at next week's internal, if you make it that long." LOL! I told her, "just so you know, I'm ready to have this baby any time after Sunday because that's my shower." :p She said that was fine ... you're full term today, so you'd be fine if you ended up going tomorrow!


Re ~ Doula I don't know why I thought this; but for some reason I thought it was some sort of religious ritual to have this "doula" present. LMAO at myself. It sounds like it may be helpful, but even if I had known more about this beforehand I probably would still just opt for hubby and medical staff ... mainly because we don't have a lot of money. Plus ... I'm going for the drugs the whole way. :p

[MidwesternGal]

QOTD Rooming In: I think I'll have the baby in the room unless I am sleeping. The nurse (head OB nurse) who ran the prenatal class said that to help us moms recover, it's a good idea to get a lot of sleep while the nurses are there to help out, and she said they LOVE to babysit! :) So I might have the baby in the nursery at night (brought to me for BFing) and maybe for an hour or two in the afternoon. I want to be as rested and recovered once we get home, to help with keeping away PPD (my doc and I think I may be a bit higher risk for developing it).
______________________
Nothing much else. All my customers are asking why I'm quitting (apparently I look either just fat or else they think I'm going to pop tomorrow! LOL)!

Oh, and CRAVINGS have set in, oh my goodness. Chinese orange chicken with a side of pancakes and a corn dog and a grilled burger sound FAB right now. . . . and yes, I'd eat all that together at the same time!! LOL.

Oh one other thing. Why is it when people ask you how many kids you have/plan on having, and you say "the plan is for just one," they flip out and act like I'm nuts or tell me "I'll change my mind." Um, hello, I know my mind better than they do. . . . not to mention, when I find out they have 4 or 6 kids or whatever, I don't tell them it's too many and they'll "change their minds!" It's just frustrating.

[Mommy2ml]

Rippy-Sounds like you have vulvodynia (sp?) I had that during and following my first pg and it sucked big time! There's not a ton they can do about it, but manybe afte rthe baby is born if it still occurs your doc can suggest some treatment options?

midwestern-people need to mind their own business! I can't tell you how many people have said "Oh! One of each? Now you're done right?" :P Once in a while I toss out a comment like "Oh, I thought we might have a tie breaker...." that sure shuts em up! LOL :p

[maplekitty]

midwesterngal - thats funny because I get the opposite! I want 4 kids, DH wants 3...so we'll see how many we actually end up having. But when I tell people this they look at me like I'm some crazy person. Since when does having 3 or 4 kids equate to being a crazy baby making machine? Okay, maybe 5 or 6 is not "normal" these days...but what's wrong with me wanting a big family? FWIW, I never say anything to my friends who only have 1, that's their choice and it is becoming more and more the "norm" to have one or stop at 2. I was an only child and it was lonely, so I have dreams of huge family dinners and tons of grandkids when I'm older. Certainly I'm no Duggar, and we wont be having 16 kids!!

[Mommy2ml]

maplekitty-I had heard that 3 is the "new 2" more and more people having 3 instead of 2 kids as it "used to be" I would love to have more kids after this one... but Rob's set on just 2... but we've agreed to wait 3-5 years and see how we feel then, since I like this spacing we're doing between DD and DS of almost 4 yrs and if we were to have another one we would not start trying for at least that long again anyway :) I think it's just odd so many people butt into others' business like that though either way! :P

[Jenzen01]

rippy - I hear you on waiting. I asked my dr. when the best time for appointments is, and he said at the beginning of each half of the day. I guess they usually clear up their schedule during lunch so that by the 1 p.m. appointments, things are back on schedule.

rooming in - I'll use the nursery when needed. I like the idea of rooming in, but the reality is it's the last chance you're going to get to heal and sleep. As soon as you get home, they're aren't any nurses to help. So, I'll take advantage of them when I can. :)

[MichelleRenee]

Rooming in: I intend to have Tristan in the room with me at all times. It's not a "security" issue with me somuch as I just know I won't want to let that little guy out of my sight. (Oh, who am I kidding? Mike will be holding him the whole time. I will probably have to wrestle the baby away just to breastfeed!)

MidwesternGal, I hate when people say "you'll change your mind." It drives me carzy. As of now we only want one and people look at us like we are aliens when we say that. Sure, we might change our minds later, but as of NOW that is our plan.

[KimberDK]

MichelleRenee & MidwesternGal - Hmm, that's interesting. We also kind of think we might just want this one, but unlike you, I have really gotten no reactions to that. Maybe it's cause if people know me, they probably know better than to tell me I'll change my mind, because I do tend to know my own mind. Or maybe it's because I'm not saying we definitely just want one, I just say we might not want more, so maybe people don't have much of a reaction to a "maybe". It is just plain dumb for people to judge or make comments about this kind of stuff. How in the world could they possibly think that they know better than you do how many children you want? It's a pretty personal decision, and very individual, isn't it?

Mommy2ml - That's a good point that the doula probably is a lot more useful if the goal is to avoid pain interventions. I do not plan to go natural, although if it winds up working that way, of course that's a bonus...not that I'm actually expecting it to. I am not opposed to an epidural, so if I want one, I'll take it. I guess I just feel scared as the date gets closer and I want to cover as many bases as I can...like if an epi is good and a doula is good, then both must be great...but you're right that it's probably overkill.

Rippy - I'm not sure what you thought a doula was, but it's funny that you thought it was religious. It is a pretty stupid name for it, actually. In a nutshell, basically, it's just a silly word for a professional labor coach.

[marathongirl]

rooming in - yes, I'll keep K2 with me as much as possible. I did with DD. Even though I only got about 3 hours sleep during the 48 hours I was in the hospital, I couldn't bear to have her out of my sight.

Not much else going on with me. Now we're really just waiting for K2 to make his/her debut. :) :eek:

[dzmattie]

Hi Ladies -

My c-section is going to be October 5th....hope everyone has a nice weekend....

[Ericka_Jarett]

Had my shower, we got very blessed. Lots of sleepers, few outfits, cradle swing, bath tub, highchair, diaper champ, couple gift cards, a check from my ex-boss that will pay for the crib with some left over, stuffed animals, toys, frames, different items I registered for, onesies, diapers, wipes and bath products. I think a few people still are going to give us gifts as they were unable to attend today. I have plenty of laundry to do tomorrow, trying to get it all washed before we moved so it can go into the dresser and closet. Got a preemie outfit, so going to wash that and take it tomorrow hopefully. Figure we might as well let him wear it now since when he comes home he probably won't be in it. My ex-boss got a super cute outfit that has long pants, onesie and a little jacket, think that will be his coming home outfit now. His cord will mostly likely be off before he can come home so no need to worry about that.

Easton is up to 40cc's now and his weight went up about 1.5 oz, so he is now 5lbs 3.5oz. Pumping is coming along, little slow, but I only got to pump in the AM and than this morning, so going to try and get more pumping in so we can get him drinking breastmilk instead of the stinky formula.

Hoping to get word back on Monday about the apartment, so that we can start moving items over there and be able to have Easton go there instead of to my brother's.

[Rippy1010]

Ericka ~ I'm glad your shower went well! Sounds like you made out like a bandit. :p ;) It's a nice feeling to be surrounded by people who love us and are so supportive. I hope you get news soon on the apartment ... good luck! I can't wait for you to bring your little man home!




Our childbirth class was yesterday, and it was just okay. The deep breathing was helpful, but the "hee hee hee" short breathing makes me lightheaded. LOL!!! Of course, I kept hearing from DH through all of the "coach" videos "this is going to be a lot of work. I didn't think I was going to have to do all of THAT." I kept giving him dirty looks thinking "oh, right, like YOU'RE the one getting all of the work to do. I have to push a watermelon out of my hoo-ha!" LMAO! Some of the issues brought up during the videos had me questioning a few of my original birth plan decisions, so they prompted me to take the instructor aside at the end, and ask some additional questions ... so that was good. Unfortunately, I think doing it at 37 weeks made it a little uncomfortable ... since we have to get down on mats for the breathing/relaxation exercises - yikes! Everything hurt, I couldn't get in a good position AT ALL!

Today is my shower. I'm getting really excited! Except, realizing that I may not have anything to wear. :rolleyes:

[Ericka_Jarett]

Got word back about the apartment, he said as long as nothing super negative comes of the past credit issues for Jarett, we have the apartment and can sign the lease on Thursday and move in on Friday or Saturday. YEAH!!!!!

[KimberDK]

Ericka - So much great news from you! Your shower sounds like it was great and you got so much terrific stuff. And now Easton is eating more, and it sounds like the apartment is falling into place as well. Great weekend for you! It's truly fantastic to hear so much good news.

Rippy - Yeah, I didn't love the breathing exercises either. I can tell you, if my DH dared to complain about how much work this will be for him, I don't even know what I would do but it wouldn't be pleasant!! When the time comes, I'm sure Jeff will do fine...it's just a lot of info at once when you're in class.

[maplekitty]

Ericka - glad to hear Easton is gaining like a champ!! When do you think he'll be able to come home? Is it at a certain weight or by how much he's eating? How do they determine that?
Your shower sounded great! Lots of great stuff!!!

[Ericka_Jarett]

They want him to be eating 60cc's (2oz) by mouth, right now he is at 40cc's but that is mostly tube and about 10-20cc's by mouth, when they take the time with him. They have a stupid 30 mins to finish his bottle rule. He is a preemie, his tummy is the size of a pea and they want him to have a little more than an ounce at a feeding. I am hoping that by the weekend he can come home and it will be to the new place, so it's extra exciting. Since his birth weight was 5 lbs 6 oz and he dropped to 5lbs 2oz the doctor wants him to gain at least the birth weight back and a bit more before releasing him. So we just keep on praying for him.

They got me so upset yesterday. He was suppose to be done with all sorts of blood draws and such, the nurse when we went in to see him said that he had a good day, slept a lot and that was about it. Whie he was getting his feeding, I was trying to get him to open his eyes, since our friend was with us, by touching his feet. Well when I uncovered his feet I saw a guaze and tape on his heel. I said to Jarett wonder what they did, so when the nurse came over our way to check on his feeding, Jarett asked her why his heels were pricked. She said that they did another bilirubin test, his coloring seemed off. She said good thing we did cause it was at 11.5. I said well I wasn't informed of him getting another draw and the other doctor said since he was under 12 he wasn't going to do another one, she said well the other doctor ordered it since his color was off to her. I started crying, because we were not informed and she didn't even tell us when we went in to see him, I discovered it. My husband was upset with the nurse, she said she would get the doctor, well instead we get the nurse practioner and she says we did the bili test cause his color looked off to us (it's a different nurse all the time, how do they know what he looked like on day 1 even) and my husband told her well we didn't get a call and when we came in were not told, my wife discovered it. He said, We want to be called before anything is done to Easton.

This hopsital strives for 5 well we have numerous complaints at this point. Than I got pulled away because I had to get a blood draw done because the stupid hospital staff never gave me my rhogam shot, so when I told the OB she said I'll check the chart, sure enough and they can't give it without having bloodwork done now since I was discharged already (I was suppose to get the shot right after delivery) So they re-admitted me so Jarett said if we get charged or the insurance company gets charged for it, he will talk to the company lawyer about it.

Well I am off to grab lunch and than see my cutie pie.

[Delta]

Rippy - Just curious, at what point during l&d did they tell you to use the heehee breathing? :confused: From everything I've ever read that kind of breathing is no longer recommended because it doesn't really do anything to help the woman relax at all.

Erika - Our son was in the NICU for 5 days and so I know where you are coming from WRT communication issues. Having your baby in the NICU is the most helpless feeling. :(

[Ericka_Jarett]

Easton is down to 5lbs now. He lost 2.5 oz in a day. Not what we wanted to hear. His cc's were put up to 45cc's now as well as being put on vitamins. His bilirubin was the same as yesterday, so that was finally good news. This mommy is ready to have her baby home. I don't think they have even given him what I have pumped and that is frustrating as well, it's only good for so long and I worked hard to even get that little bit.

[Rippy1010]

Rippy - Just curious, at what point during l&d did they tell you to use the heehee breathing? From everything I've ever read that kind of breathing is no longer recommended because it doesn't really do anything to help the woman relax at all.

Well ... basically, they gave us a whole bunch of different ways to breathe (and relaxations techniques as well) and we could just choose whichever ones DID work for us. But, she said that some people do mostly the deep breathing, but during the most intense part of a contraction it may seem impossible to do the deep breathing, and then you can try the short-in "hee hee hee" thing. The way she explained it was that a contraction looks kind of like a little mountain, and basically we would only use the "hee hee hee" for the peak of the mountain, but the deep breathing for the rest of it.

I probably will not use it at all since it wasn't working for me and I wasn't in labor. LOL!

A problem for me ... visualization has really worked in the past for me as a relaxation technique. But, you kind of need someone who is trained on that, y'know? I can't ask DH to do the whole narration, because he wouldn't be able to talk in the right "tone" or speed. Maybe I can find a L&D visualization CD or something. :confused:

[MichelleRenee]

Ericka, I hope your little guy gets to come home soon. I'll be thinking about you!!

I don't think these are going on the front page anymore, but still, here is my 33w2d belly shot:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/AngelyWangely/Belly%20Shots/DSC00564.jpg

My groin is still a little sore and my boobs have been achy and leaking a little more than before. It's exciting to be in the home stretch and to know that all this "stuff" is leading up to something great!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Last night, Easton went up to 5lbs 2.4oz, so that was good. The nurse he had last night was there when he was first born. She said she would have a talk with him and tell him about bottles and how we are moving and he gets his own room. He took 25 cc's by bottle so that was good. The nurse pulled my milk from the fridge, I told her I brought some in earlier. When she got the baggies I noticed it was what I pmped on the 8th and morning of the 9th, so I was right, they didn't feed him any. He was moved back to his old space as well. Earlier he was moved because his temp showed him cold. They got a new thermometer though and his temp was fine.

[Mommy2ml]

Kimber-Not to say there's no pain or discomfort with an epi, but it's usually much more manageable than without and since your DH sounds like the very supportive kind and will speak up for you, you probably need not bother with a doula since you're probably goign the epi route :)

DZMattie-Congrats on choosing a dat efor your c/s!

Erika-Sounds like a great shower! It would be fantastic if you could take baby Easton home to your new home! :) Congrats on the apartment.

Sounds like things with the hospital are just sucky right now, hopefully he does not need to stay there much longer!

Rippy-The "hee-hee"s usually feel best when you can't take a deep breathe anymore... like when the contrax are hard, long and close togetehr yet you still need to breathe through them cause you're not completely dialated yet. At that point it feels good just to get some air/oxygen in any way you can and if you focus while doing them it can help ease your mind away from the pain sometimes... Hypnobirthing tapes can help with visualizations, also if you practice meditation on your own you can just have your DH remind you to try it during labor and possibly be able to get yourself into the visualization/meditations on your own.
---------------------
Doing alright here. Still using the EPO internally every night. Getting much pressure and lots of movement still.

I set up the car seat bases in both cars, we went and got a locking clip for DH's car sinc eit needed it, mone did not... we might need another mighty tite, but we'll see. I set-up the carseat mirror in my car and the carseat is resting in my car for now. The co-sleeper is set-up and the sheets are on, we'll just attach it to the bed once the baby comes. I cleaned and re-orged most of our room yesterday and did some more work in the livingroom. Rob's been helping a lot with the dishes since I just cannot be on my feet too much lately without pain. Most of what I have been doing in our room and the living room I have been able to just sit and sort through things and box stuff up, etc. Then DH moves the boxes to store them.

Getting nervous about bills/money again... I need to call today to find out when we can expect the check to come in from the 401k! Once we get that in we can pay it all off and be in a much better place and able to afford all we need to. Until then it just feels like we're screwed, which is not a good feeling this close to the birth!

My goal with the EPO is to move things along enough that they will not need to use Cytotec before the Pit at the induction. If he comes sooner on his own, bonus :) but I at least want to avoid the cytotec :P

Tomorrow is the busiest day we're gonna have in a really long time! M's sibling class and my BFing class and Rob's dentist appt all in one day.

This Friday my cousin is coming over and then Sat I am meetig up with an old friend for a walking mall trip :)

It is so hard to think about that just 2 weeks from now I will be in the hospital getting induced!

Oh, I am considering giving myself an enema the night before or the morning of the induction... hoping maybe I can avoid the pooping while I push :P I guess I will ask the doc about that Thursday...

Have a great day everyone! :)

[Quartercentury]

Internal exams aren't standard here. But having charted and observed my cervix, I know that my cervix was closed, high, and firm at the beginning of the pregnancy... Now it's soft and getting to be somewhat effaced and just a tiny bit dilated. I was worried about that for a few days until I remembered that you can indeed walk around for weeks with a cervix that's a few centimeters dilated. "Established labor" begins according to the midwives here when you get to 5cm, so as long as I'm not there yet...

We are thinking about getting a doula, which seems at first like a strange thing to do for a homebirth, but just like a lot of people who deliver in the hospital, we won't necessarily know the person who attends the birth - just whoever from the group is on call at the time. And it's important to me to have someone there with whom we've formed a relationship already. But, the woman we interviewed and both really liked can't be our doula after all. We are interviewing someone else this week, so we'll see how we feel about her. Part of what I liked about the woman we already interviewed was her philosophy of supporting the couple as a unit rather than just focusing on supporting the woman in labor, since it's obviously important to me that my partner isn't feeling left out of the process!

We got moved in to our new place this weekend, but half the boxes are still packed up... :rolleyes:

[Rippy1010]

Thanks, Mommy2ml for the suggestion about self-visualization and meditation. I'll have to practice that a few nights this week to see if I can get in to it. Then, I'll just have DH remind me in case I start getting anxious or panicky.

Kimber ~ LOL!!! I know what you mean ... Jeff was really walking a thin line with the comments about too much work. LOL!! Hopefully you're right ... hopefully once we are there, he'll do fine. And, I agree ... it was a lot of info to take in at once.



Yesterday was our shower. It was really fun ... thankfully the weather wasn't too hot. I got our lightweight stroller, OUR DRESSER!, about a thousand packs of diapers (Yay!), 5 cans of formula (another YAY!), a bunch of clothes and receiving blankets, and just a ton of stuff in general. It was great. The only things we want to head back to the store to get before baby comes is the boppy, diaper genie, infant-to-toddler tub, a couple of sleeper gowns, and the glider/ottoman ... plus some things for the hospital bag. Other things from the registry that we do want (like the mobile, PNP, swing, and a few other odds-n-ends) can wait until whenever we have the money. We aren't in dire need of them before the baby arrives.

[Nigellas]

Ericka, are they feeding your son formula when you have EBM on hand? I’d be LIVID if I were you. Preemies especially need the extra nutrition from BM. What are they thinking?

QC – good luck with the doula search.
--------

I’ll be 34 weeks tomorrow and I can officially start increasing my activity. Maybe I’ll go out to eat to celebrate. I’ve been dying for some spicy Indian food, but no one around here delivers – I think I definitely will have to arrange a trip out for some. :) Mmmmm….

2 weeks, 1 day until cerclage comes out! Eek!

[maplekitty]

Guess what MIL bought us this weekend?! The papasan swing!!! :D
And, they just happened to drop it off the night we were babysitting our 6 month old neice for the firs time....and let me tell you - it worked like a charm - she scremaed for an hour while Curt hurriedly put it together and I trid to distract her with Baby Einstein, she was so tired and just fighting sleep. He put her in it, and within 30 secs she was out like a light HAHA! ;)


I've been feeling very achy and very tired!
My hips, butt, thighs and vajayjay all hurt like hell! I *think* I'm slowly loosing my mucous plug?? But it's very small amounts and very randomly throughout the week. I'll be 37 wks on friday and I'm DONE! I'm ready for baby, she can come on out any time she wants! ;)

[She-Ra]

Ericka:Sorry about the nurses. I would be really upset about them not giving him your BM also. He NEEDS that, plus you are working hard to pump. And they forgot your Rhogam?! Soon this will all be behind you & your sweet boy will be home.

I forgot who posted about driving, but I drove myself home from work after my water broke with DS. DH made me PROMISE not to do that again. I was pretty calm though, and it made sense timewise b/c DH was on the other side of town at the time.

I worry more about getting into an accident with my belly so close to the wheel, so I've been really cautious lately, instead of my usual aggressive driving self. :p

Nigellas: Yum. Indian has been a huge craving of mine lately. Spicy might help move things along!

[bunnybeth]

Ericka Sounds like you had a nice shower, and have plenty of things for the little guy. Too bad you're having issues with the hospital. I would be pretty upset if they did anything to my baby w/o informing me beforehand, I can just imagine how you must feel. Hopefully Easton will be able to go home really, really soon.

Rippy It's good that you got the childbirth class in now, as it made you find out more info on your birth plan items and can make better decisions. It always makes me feel better to be informed!

Nigellas Almost to 34 weeks, I bet you think it's about time! Have fun tomorrow on your first day out & about. :)

---

My shower on Saturday was great, it was fun to see all my friends and family of course, and there was lots of yummy food to eat. My friend's toddler asked me if it was my birthday, I think because that's the kind of party she has the most experience with. ;) My little guy now has 2 hand-knit blankets (my friend and grandma), a handmade quilt (MIL), lots of bottles, just about all the pumping accessories that will be needed when I go back to work, diapers, a swing, highchair, stacks of books (99% of which feature rabbits), a couple of toys and stuffed animals, and plenty of clothing. We're still missing a few things from the registry that we'll need soon, but the big Toys R Us coupon book will help with that. We're going to try to go shopping this weekend (especially for the car seat) but also have a baby care class and my high school reunion. So busy!

My friend who I commissioned to make watercolors for the nursery had the paintings done this weekend and brought them along to the shower. I originally wanted 2 to hang over the crib, but she made 4 for me to pick from. I ended up not being able to choose just 2, and DH loved them all as well, so he agreed to buying all 4 of them. We probably won't hang them all in the nursery, since it's a small room, but maybe we'll use them all together in a bigger room (play room? 2nd kid's nursery?) when we eventually move. This one is my favorite. (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/39392909/)

[Ericka_Jarett]

Nigellas - I was upset about it, but at least know that he got it yesterday, my milk is finally starting to come in, it was just colostrum until yesterday. I have started to pump every 3 hours and taking Brewer's Yeast, we have Fenugreek if needed, but waiting to see how the Brewer's works first. I am going to try and get to the hospital regularly for feeding times.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Shower pics:

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n96/erickakulm/cake.jpg
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n96/erickakulm/IMG_0118.jpg
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n96/erickakulm/IMG_0117.jpg

[maplekitty]

Had my appnt., all is well, all was routine.
BP is 120/80, baby's HR is 145, measuring on track (no longer ahead - but probably because baby has dropped). Total weight gain 27lbs, no comment made so thats good ;)
Doc assured me the erythromyacin (eye cream) that DH is allergic to will not affect the baby and that kind of allergy is not passed down.
It's still a wait-and-see game as far as vaginal over c-sec because of baby's weight. We just wait until the appnt with the OBGYN on the 25th to see what his advice is. Doc said if she said I have a 40% chance of vaginal then we'll go for it. If he says we have a 2%, then obviously we schedule a c-section. Until then, like I said, it's wait and see. :cool:

Next appnt is Sept 18th

[kenswife]

Hi! Just thought I'd pop in since I just got back from the dr's.

It was my first appt. w/an internal. I'm 1 cm dialated and he is "very head down". My cervix is still posterior though. The 1 cm doesn't mean diddely squat but it's nice to have *something* happening though :) It amazes me that I'm at the point where things are starting to happen (even if it does take weeks).

I get my very last u/s next Tuesday. I can't believe it's my last one before I get to see my little guy. I'm pretty excited. Other than that, everything was like a normal appt. He was nice and active for my NST, b/p was good and I'm measuring at 37 weeks so pretty much right on. Now I get to look forward to next week's appt.

[Jenzen01]

Hello everyone.

I'm on a little mini-vacation at my parents' house. DH is on a fishing trip, so I came here so I could get some help with Gabe.

Anyway, I finally got my digital pictures uploaded, so here's my latest belly shot. I feel huge!


Grrrr ... edited to say that I can't get my images to work off snapfish for some reason. Plus, I'm sick of dealing with dial-up for today, so I'll try this later.

Jen

[marathongirl]

ericka - you look great! Hope your little guy joins you at home soon!

I've got an OB appt tomorrow. Other than that, things are pretty much the same.

[KimberDK]

Ericka - I am sitting here getting all outraged about Easton not getting your EBM, and DH is telling me that if you are going to complain about it, you should really take it right to hospital administration. He mentioned that some people prefer not to complain at all because they want to make sure not to alienate the staff and make things even worse than they are. But if you are inclined to speak up (I would be), he is telling me to tell you not to bother complaining to the nurses or even to the doctors, but to go right to administration.

MapleKitty - Great news about the papasan swing! I am happy to hear that, since I have that swing and I am just hoping it's a hit with our baby girl.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Thanks for the compliment. The nurses are amazed at how good I look, it feels good for people to say that. The one nurse was there when I delivered and saw me the next day and said I looked good, but I also looked great during delivery she said (not something you would expect to hear when you had been pushing for 90 mins really hard.)

Thanks Kimber. We actually will be getting a survey in the mail that goes directly to the hospital admin, so our complaints can go there with regards to the Rhogam and the nursing assistants comments and anything else that annoys us. I told the nurses about the EBM today and they said that there were different nurses on staff this weekend and that the doctor that was on staff this weekend isn't the best one, and the nurses were afraid to use their own judgment in regards to the EBM. The one nurse said did you have the milk with me and not say anything, I said oh no it wasn't you, it was milk that I pumped on Friday and brought in Saturday afternoon. She said ok good, please let me know if you have milk here in case I don't check the fridge. The doctor on duty this week is really nice and has ordered that Easton gets a bottle at every other feeding not the tube at every feed but 1. The nurses (they are both great and I wish they could be his only caregivers there) talked to her this morning about the tube feedings and how his problem is he gets tube fed and not made to learn sucking and swallowing, so the doctor said I want every other feed to be a bottle and any leftover can go tube, but 30 mins with a bottle first. I was happy to hear it. Easton is doing better, he finished almost his whole bottle this morning with the nurse, than he finished almost the whole bottle with me but the last 10cc's and than he finished a whole bottle with Jarett this evening. The nurse said well since he seems interested we will do a bottle instead of tube, let's see how much he takes in the 20-25 mins. He took all 45cc's but 4cc's which actually 2cc's were overfill. We were thrilled he did it and didn't spit it up. I was going to talk with this doctor about the tube feedings so I was pleased the nurses did it for me and get it moving in the right direction before I got there. The doctor also ordered diaper rash meds instead of just using some Aveeno diaper rash cream that wasn't helping him at all. She was really nice and introduced herself and that she would be there all week and any issues to just talk with her. So things were much better.

[maplekitty]

Grrrr ... edited to say that I can't get my images to work off snapfish for some reason.



snapfish doesnt allow hotlinking anymore :(

[Bubeleh]

Just a quick post.

Congrats Erika, Easton is adorable! Hope he gets to join you soon.

Had my shower yesterday, it was a blast, my Sister really went crazy. She made a cake shaped like our crib complete with a mobile & teddy bear. She had everyone bring a onsie that they had decorated and then hung those on a clothesline. The gifts were so generous, we were very grateful. If I can ever get to time to learn a new photo site I'll post pics.

Other than that I think I am having some contractions, but they could be BH. They come about every 10 - 25 minutes and feel like hardening. I hoping its just BH, I need atleast 2-3 more days at work to finish up.

Hope everyone else is well!

[Rippy1010]

I thought that I was having contractions tonight, too. I'm still not really sure if I am or not. They were about 7-15 minutes apart ... not consistently getting closer together or further away. But, I tried to press in to my abdomen with my hand to see if I could feel contracting/hardening, and I couldn't. But, they felt like sharp menstrual cramps. I don't know. Guess I'll just keep an eye on them.

Also, lost more of my plug today. And, I think that it had a little more of a pinkish hue to it.

I agree with Bubelah ... I just need a few more days at work to get some things tied up. Also, I took off on Friday so that DH and I could go buy all of the registry items that we still need.

Bubelah ~ That cake sounds so neat! I can't wait to see a picture of it! (BTW ... I have been using a website called imagestation.com ... it seems to work alright.)

[Nigellas]

Question…
For the last few days I’ve been getting a really painful pinching feeling up near the bottom of where my ribs meet – I’m guessing it’s because my uterus is pushed up against it. But it seems like when ever I bend, even just a little I get this sharp painful pinch. Is this normal? Cause, man - it hurts!

[Mommy2ml]

Erika-sounds like things are getting better! Hopefully Easton will be home with you soon! Have you tried BFing him directly yet?

Nigellas-I would ask your doc about that pain/pinching you're having, just in case.

-------------

All's well here. Just hanging out, losing a bit more plug here and there, etc. Nothing big. Lots of pressure and jabs to the cervix, lots of movement still, etc.

Mackie has her sibling class this afternoon and I have my BFing class this evening :)

[KimberDK]

Ericka - Of course you should fill out the survey, but my DH's advice was for if you are looking to get immediate results with how they are handling Easton NOW. He pointed out that nurses and doctors sometimes listen to what they want to listen to and it's hard to ever know that things you say to one nurse will get repeated to another, but administration is more likely to make sure something is done immediately in response to a concern. It is because they are most concerned with avoiding litigiation, but whatever their motivation might be, as long as it gets Easton what he needs... Sounds like you are having better responses now, though.

[MidwesternGal]

Nigellas--I have that pain, too. It's pretty bad. However, I know mine is the little stinker because I can see his feet rolling along underneath my ribs about 1/2 the time!!

Bubeleh--I think I'm having BH too. However, it's not really that short lived--more like my uterus gets hard for a few minutes, then it disappears, then happens again a few hours later.
__________________________________
Lots of pain in my abdomen/cervix/pelvis. Life is not comfy these days. Woke up last night around 1:30 am and couldn't move one of my hands, it was sooooo swollen! Bending over is pretty much next to impossible and pretty painful.

One thing I have noticed though--I don't think my baby sleeps any more!! EVER!! He has been moving pretty much NONSTOP for the last 3 days! AAUUGH!!!

The stretchmarks continue to grow and multiply. . . . oh well. I also quit weighing myself and quit looking at the doc's. So pointless. Sigh.

Anyways, hopefully you are all having a good day!

[Rippy1010]

Lots of pain in my abdomen/cervix/pelvis. Life is not comfy these days.

Yes ... I agree with you. This morning I simply wanted to cry when my alarm went off for work. I am exhausted, and have major hip and groin pain. My feet and legs feel like carrying around cinder blocks ... and they hurt to the touch. I've been sitting here at work for the past few hours debating if I want to change my initial "plan" and actually move to half-days after this week up until birth. I'd have to use vacation time ... so it's a major debate for me. DH says to go ahead and do it ... I just don't want to exhaust my vacation time so soon. It doesn't get renewed until July.

[Mommy2ml]

Rippy - Even a couple of hours less a day could make a difference... I cut back (on the recommendaton of my doc) to 30hr work weeks instead of 40 and it made a huge difference for me... maybe just a shorter lunch and leave a couple of hours earlier than usual might help you more without taking up all of your vacation time?

Midwestern gal - I hear ya on the pain. I force myself to take little walks each day, just to keep my muscles from totally aching. I must say that seeing my chiropractor this past weekend helped tremendously with the pain I'd been suffering, though much of it still is there it has become easier to walk and more bearable to stand up from sitting position than it had been :)

[MichelleRenee]

Count me in on the pain. I'm not sure what to make of mine. It is all in my groin. Especially in the ligaments that connect my inner thighs to the rest of my body. (does that make sense?) Then it kinds spreads upwards.... basically, every time I stand up I have horrible pains in my whole pubic region. I really can't explain it better than that. It isn't internal... it is more like the muslces/ligaments in that area. The pain gets pretty sharp at night when I wake up to use the bathroom. It also hurts pretty bad when I try to put my pants on or tie my shoes.

And the kicking! Ever since lunch today I have felt a TON of kicking under my ribs while his head hits my bladder/cervix at the same time. Out of curiosity... can a baby kick hard enough to break your water?? If so I think my little guy might do just that if he keeps this up!!

I am working very hard on staying healthy and active right now. My doctor's main concern is my weight so I am trying my best to eat healthy and to be on my feet. It is hard when it hurts so bad.

It doesn't help that I have a hubby who needs taking care of. I don't want to get too personal about his issues.... but he has been dealing with pretty bad panic attacks lately. He has always had the attacks but they have been getting worse. (partly due to a new med he was on) Both of us suffer from anxiety and panic attacks so I know how he feels, but a part of me wants to scream "at least you don't have to be pregnant!!" That makes me feel awful because I know personally how scary and painful a panic attack can be. So I am trying to be compassionate towards him and take care of him when he needs it. I just hope they can straighten out his meds soon so he stops having these attacks!

One more thing... anyone else's boobs go through another growth spurt? Mine were already up to a D cup (from a B pre-PG) but they grew over the last week again!! (In addition to more leakage and twinges of pain here and there) Maybe that's why I am gaingin so much weight!

[lawgirl4]

I too am noticing tons of movement from baby! and it definitely feels like she is a bit cramped up in there. It's especially noticeable when I am sitting straight up. My legs have been aching as well, and the groin pain is a charming new symptom too! I definitely feel like things are entering a new stage physically - and it really hit me today that I only have 4 more weeks to go until my due date! Wow.

Our glider (a gift from my parents) is being delivered today - yay! I got this Dutailier model, plus the ottoman, from babycatalog.com:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/lawgirl4/baby%20stuff/92605.jpg

******************************

Ericka - glad to hear that Easton is doing so well... it must be so hard not to have him at home, but he will be with you guys soon and you really sound like you have a wonderful, positive attitude.

Rippy - I'm wondering if you might be next to deliver!! :)

[Rippy1010]

can a baby kick hard enough to break your water??
This actually happened to my SIL. She was at work, and her DS kicked her so hard that it brought her to her knees. She didn't feel well after that, so she asked to go home, and noticed that she was leaking some type of fluid. She called her doc, and the doc told her to come in. As it turned out, her water had broken from the kick, and she had to go in to the hospital. I think it was about 6-8 weeks early.


Rippy - I'm wondering if you might be next to deliver!!
Though mentally I'm not prepared for the impact of it all (both the fact that I'll be a mom, and the fact that I have a few things left to do) ... physically, LET'S DO IT! I'm physically ready for him to just get out of me already. LOL! DH thinks I'll go next week ... because that's when he's working midnight shift, and it would just figure. :rolleyes: LOL!

[TaterBaby]

I am right there with everyone on all the aches and pains! I told someone that I feel like I've been riding a horse for 10 hours straight. I think I walk like it too. At my appointment last Friday, I had my first internal. She said I was only a "fingertip" dialated, but 50% effaced. She could almost feel the baby's head. I did tons of walking this weekend and I think she may have dropped some. I'm also have numerous BH contractions every night and the aches and pains keep getting worse and worse, so maybe things are moving along. :confused:

Full term tomorrow! Let's get this show on the road!

[marathongirl]

Had my OB appt. Everything looks good. I'm 2cm dilated and cervix is soft. Not that it means a whole lot - I was 2cm dilated with DD for 3 weeks before she came. My next appt is 9/19.

Other than that, this has been the week from hell. This morning was the final straw. Our plumbing erupted and we had raw sewage seeping into the hallway. Nice. Needless to say, DH stayed home from work today. Plumbers were here but we haven't had water since 7am and we won't for another 2 hours. What a day.

[Nigellas]

OMG, Sue - That is disgusting! We had a pipe like that break once, but at least it was in our basement.

[Ericka_Jarett]

thanks lawgirl. We are much happier with his care now. The doctor said that he is doing great and it will be soon. He had 3 straight bottle feedings today and the last one he got a little pooped out after 25cc's. The nurse that cares for him today and yesterday is awesome and really wants the best for Easton and it shows.

Can't believe my baby is 1 week old already

[Tika]

Hey everyone! Just a quick stop to say hi. I am so feeling you with the pain and all. Although I’m a little panicky about all the stuff I have to take care of before he comes, I am happy that this stage will be over in 2 weeks with my c-section. I hate my sausage feet and am tired of feeling the tightness etc… that come with this stage. We'll see how things are going when I go to my appt on Thursday.

[Michelle]

Okay girls, I have a totally random, soon-to-be mom question.... What are you starting with as far as newborn clothes and diapers go? I don't want to buy too much newborn stuff, but at the same time I'm afraid that I don't have enough. What are the approx amount of newborn onsies, outfits, sleepers, diapers, etc are you starting with?

I'm starting to hit my freak out mode! I know that I can run out and buy this stuff once she comes, but I want to make sure that I have enough stuff to start out with! Thanks! :)

[dzmattie]

Michelle - I am sure everyone will have a different opinion on this one but here is my 2 cents!

I look at it that I would rather NOT have to run out for things as there will be things I will need that I didn't think of that will have to run out for - so I tend to buy more than I need and keep receipts. I made sure I have :

Diapers - one pack of 40 newborn swaddlers & 1 case of 122 size 1-2's
Wipes - a case of Pampers sensitive wipes from BJ's
Formula - I am going to BF but bought one bottle of ready to feed & 3 bottles
Onesies - 15 - alot I know but I went through alot with DS
Sleepers - 6 that are for Nighttime and 5 that are for daytime
Gowns - 2
Outfits - 2 - "nicer" type ones that are Carter's for visitors
Socks - 10 pairs - all the same
Fleece 1 piece "snowsuit" - not really a snowsuit - much lighter
Sweater - 1
Lap pads - used these to put under DS's head in the PNP and crib so if there was spit up I wasn't constantly changing sheets
Burp cloths
Sheets
Towels - 3
Face cloths - 10 at least
Bibs - just a couple - didn't use alot in the beginning
Hats - 2 cotton ones - I don't like the ones they use in the hospital :)
Themometer
Desitin
Vaseline
Baby Tylenol
Baby Mylicon (gas drops)

I think this is the majority of "stuff" - I am sure there is more I forgot....

[MichelleRenee]

This kid was kicking me so hard last night... I seriously thought I was going to see a foot bust right out of my belly!! It was so uncomfortable and so painful! Then it seemed like he finally settled into a comfy position and I was fine. But I swear, from the time he started the kicking to the time he stopped (a couple of hours) my belly dropped!

As far as stuff... I have so much in hand-me-downs and gifts, as far as clothes go. I would say about 15 onesies and 10 pairs of jammies in newborn sizes. I figured I'd stick with that and see if we need more after he comes. Diapers... I also have a TON. We sorted them last night. We have almost 200 NB diapers. Some came from a friend who opened packages and then his son outgrew them. The rest are new packs that we will hang onto and exchange if we need to. Then we have LITERALLY over 600 size 1's. Most of those are in unopened packs and I have a feeling many of them will be exchanged. We have quite a few bigger sizes as well so I guess we'll see where we end up as he gets bigger.

dzmattie, that is a great list. I got very confused when it came time to buy towels and such. I didn't have any and I wondered how many you really need for a baby.

Tika, I am so jealous that you have a scheduled "end" to the discomfort. I hoep you get to enjoy your last two weeks of pregnancy!!

Ericka_Jarett, I am glad that Easton is doing well and that you are more comfortable with his care now!

marathongirl, I am so sorry about your plumbing! You must be so stressed out! Hopefully it will all be resolved soon and you won't have any more issues to deal with!

TaterBaby, I've used the "horse" line a few times myself, although now the pain seems to be more in the front than underneath, if that makes sense. I hope the aches and pains mean you are getting somewhere!

Rippy1010, that story is so not what I wanted to hear! How scary!

lawgirl4, love the glider!

[hmdelf]

Hi all
just dropping in to say hi
CONGRATS to Erica. Your son is handsome! i hope he can come home soon!
I haven't been getting alerts, so thats why I haven't been in here. I'll be stopping by more often.
Tons of pelvic pain and sleeping is non existent. My hips kill me when I get up after laying down.
In more news, we are car searching right now. My Saturn is too small for two children and also it's on it's last leg. We are looking at the Subaru Tribeca and Honda Pilot.
I hope everyone is doing well!@!!!

[Rippy1010]

Rippy1010, that story is so not what I wanted to hear! How scary!

LOL! Sorry ... didn't mean to scare you. I'm sure it's not common. :)



Last night I was overcome by a sudden burst of energy! I got most of my hospital bag packed (after buying odds and ends for it yesterday ... such as travel-size toiletries, pads, etc). I sorted through all our gifts to get the nursery a little LESS in disarray. Took everything out of their boxes and packages to clean the new (and used) clothes and bedding. Did three loads of baby laundry (one left to do). Organized all the bottles and formula in to the kitchen cabinet. Set up the bottle warmer. Got all of the new toys organized in to a basket. Got the changing table all organized with necessities. I was just on a rampage last night. Phew!!! When I looked up it was 1:00 in the morning, and I wasn't even tired. When I finally laid down in bed ... I paid for it. Everything hurt. :rolleyes: Made getting up this morning a real JOY! LOL!

[Mommy2ml]

Marathon Girl-Ew! Yuck! Hope everything is fixed and cleaned up soon!

Newborn stuff-Mackie was wearing NB size clothes for at least a good 2 months or so. We still need to finish paying for the cloth dipes we have on order, until then someone gave us a pack of NB sized dipes we can use if we don't get the cloth ones in time. As for amounts of clothes... I did not count, but it looks like "plenty" with the NB and 0-3 combined. This time around I have not been nearly as anal as I was with DD's things LOL We're not even buying baby towels... we're just gonna choose a color towel from the closet an dstart washing that color in just Dreft with the baby stuff. Why bother with special towels we'll use for a few months, then the baby outgrows them?

Michelle-I hit freak out mode a couple of weeks ago now... still going. Got a ton done, still a ton to do.... but as long as you've got the basics done, the rest other people can always help you with later on :)
------------

Mackie loved her big sister class... we were the only ones that showed up, so we got individual instruction LOL She got to practice feeding and diapering a doll baby and we got to see a couple of newborns just a couple of hours old through the nursery window. She got a pin and certificate at the end.

My BFing class, once I found it (another woman and I both got lost, went ot he wrong buildings, then found it together) was terrific! I am glad I took it, lots of helpful info and resources to use if/as needed.

Getting my Holter monitor on today after work at the cardiologist, this should be interesting...

Looking forward to maybe being told tomorrow at the OB that I have finally made some decent progress, but not holding my breathe LOL

Lots more pain and cramping and contrax, but nothing steady or regular or anything that can really be timed yet, so nothing major going on yet.

still inserting the EPO every night in the hopes it'll help get things ready. My goal with that is not necessarily to bring on Labor, but at the very least prep my cervix enough to avoid the Cytotec if possible. I hate the idea of the Cytotec and will do my best to avoid having to use it if at all possible!

Ok Logan! Full term, time to come out already! LOL

Have a great day everyone!

[MidwesternGal]

Mommy2ml--What is so bad about Cytotec? Does it make you naseaus? Just curious, because I haven't heard of it.
_________________________
Nothing too much new here. Just a funny quick story, actually. Last night I had about 2 strong BH contrax, over about 2-3 hours. My DH FLIPPED OUT and wanted to get the stopwatch out. I was like, "Honey, you're an IDIOT!" Hehehehehe.

More BH this morning--about 4 or so. It'd be nice if they'd slooooowly get closer together so we could get the watch out *for real*--I'm sooooo ready to be done!! Sigh. Watch, I'll be a week overdue!!:rolleyes:

[marathongirl]

Rippy - that sounds like nesting to me!

midwesterngal - from my understanding (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) cytotec has been linked with an increase in uterine rupture.

Our plumbing mess is pretty much cleaned up, but we'll probably have to call our home owner's insurance and have some of the flooring replaced. We just had all new floors put in less than a year ago. Sigh.

[She-Ra]

Cytotec:This is used "off label" as a vaginal suppository to induce labor. It is actually for ulcers or something like that, & can lead to uterine rupture when used to induce. Basically, BAD STUFF!

[Mommy2ml]

Cytotec-It is used off-label, as previously said, for priming the cervix during induction. The primary risk of uterine rupture was when doctors used too much of the stuff... but since it is contraindicated and off label used for inductions, there is no study showing a correct dose. My doc insists they only use a qtr of a tablet or less and that it's supposedly the best working product that does what it does out there.

Basically, I DON'T want to use it!!!! She said if I start dialating on my own enough then I won't need it. I am not worried about Pitocin, since I had to have that last time when my epidural slowed down my labor and I reacted fine to it and it did its job and all.... so it's really just my hope I can avoid the use of Cytotec all together, just to be on the safe side.

And I have tried to discuss it with my doc and she continues to insist it's the best thing out there for induction, nothing works like it does, etc. I figure if it comes down to it I just have to decide if I want to be stubborn and insist on no Cytotec at all... which if my cervix is unfavorable enough could land me with a c-section, or do I want to go ahead and let them use the cytotec if they deem it necessary.... I would like to avoid surgery if possible, but I also want avoid the Cytotec...

Anyway, that is why I am so hoping that I make some cervical progress, cause if there's enough progress that she can get in there and strip the membranes, then there's enough progress that I don't need the stuff :)

[maplekitty]

LOL, I can't beleive I'm actually going to type this....but is anyone else completely obsessed with their leaking nipples??
Seriously...all I have to do is squueze them and they start leaking! And it's the most fascinating thing for me!! LOL I obsessively check and see if it does it, multiple times a day...I just find the whole process so interesting, and I can't wait to actualle try breastfeeding because it just seems like such a crazy new expereince that I want to know what it feels like, what it looks like, even what it tastes like.

[jbemommy]

OMG, I have not been able to get into CC for over a week now! I'm going back to read everything, but just wanted to post first in case it disappears again.
I've been put on bedrest now b/c of my BP's. At my appt. Tuesday, my OB said he'd induce me if my cervix had changed but it was closed. Had an NST today, all looks good with baby. My next appt. is Friday, and I'm really praying I've dilated some so we can get this over with. My BP's are now running 140-160/90-100 unless I lay down, and I find it a little scary. My parents are coming Friday to help out until the baby is born, b/c DH and I work together, so without me he's on call every other day and seeing extra patients during the day, then comes home and insists on doing all the housework and caring for DD too. I can tell he's really getting stressed. Anyway, that's my update, now i'm going back to find out what's going on with everyone else.

[Jenzen01]

Oh my, I can't believe how close we are to having more babies!

Anyone want to bet on who's first? :)

As for me, I'm still having lots and lots and lots of BH contractions. So very uncomfortable at this point in the game. I was like this with DS, so I'm not too concerned, but I do get more than 4 an hour sometimes. My dr. just said to watch if they fall into a pattern.

Also, holy pelvic pressure and pain! I get shooting crotch pains every once in a while combined with baby shifting against my hooha. Ouch!

I was talking to a girl at work who's about 25 weeks along with her first, and she couldn't believe that you get to a point where you want the pregnancy to be over with. I was trying to explain how uncomfortable it gets, but she didn't get it. She's really enjoying the pregnancy right now.

I just really want to hold my baby. I want to see her and put her in her crib and use all the cute clothes I have for her. I'm ready to meet my baby. :)

DH is in Minnesota still, and I can't wait for him to get back. I was super-tired this morning after getting myself and Gabe out of the house for work. I ended up being about 20 minutes, which, at this point, I could give a hoot about.

Oh, and the best gift I've gotten so far? My mom is at my house cleaning today. She's even scrubbing the bathroom walls and ceiling. Sweet heaven. Could there be anything better?

Jen

[KMM]

We had a little bit of a wake up call yesterday. I was at work and thought my water broke (thank God, I was not in the classroom). I had just urinated and was getting dressed when I felt my underwear and pants get soaked. I drove myself home, my husband came home and we went to L&D to get checked out. They hooked me up to the monitor and checked to see if my membranes had ruptured. They were still intact and I was just having strong BH. And the fluid was urine. LOL My DH and I kept laughing last night that I peed in my pants and thought I was in labor. The dr and nurses told us it is a very common occurance so I am glad we went justto get checked. We are firmly in the better safe than sorry camp. It was also the kick in the pants we needed to get everything ready for the baby.

[Rippy1010]

KMM ~ Our childbirth prep instructor says that happens SOOOO often ... and she'd rather that people come get it checked out, then not. :) At least it's getting you motivated.


My hospital bag is alll packed except for Logan's coming home outfit, receiving blanket, and some undies for me. Yay!!! That was stressing me out. Also, all of Logan's laundry is finally done AND folded AND put away. I just have to make his bed tonight ... and hang his name, and paint his lamps. I'm officially getting really excited. :D

Tomorrow is the shopping trip for the glider/ottoman, boppy, and infant-to-toddler tub. But, first, I have a doctor's appointment first thing in the morning. When/if your DH goes to these final doc appts ... does he stay for the internal or no?

[Mommy2ml]

Maplekitty-Mine leak in droplets at a time when I squeeze them... it's reassuring to me I might be able to successfully BF thi time around :)

jbemommy-I hope your BP comes down or you're able to be induced soon! Glad your parents can come and help out in the mean time.

Jenzen- I hear ya on the pain and discomfort! I must say that I really do not recal feeling this crappy at the end of my pg with DD... or this impatient! LOL

kmm-DEFINITELY better safe than sorry! A tip for when you pee to try and prevent it from happening again... try leaning forward and back a few times once you think you're done peeing before you get up. Sometimes the baby is against your bladder in such a way that you can't completely empty your bladder without some repositioning.

Rippy-With my DD my DH went to nearly every appt with me and always stayed no matter what they did, including internals. This time the difference in our work schedules and arranging for child care has kept him from most of the appts though. But he would stay in the room with me whenever he comes... (Then again, he's come with me to regualr GYN appts and stayed in the room too, with no problems LOL)

Hospital bag-I have Logan's stuff packed, and an outfit for me and my little clock for next to the bed so I can tell what time it is without my watch. I bought some depends and big thick pads and just have to add those and some toiletry items (I need to p/u some travel sized things to take) I also have 2 spare pillows in old colored pillow cases and a pair of slipper socks packed in a bag for during labor an danother 2 pr slipper socks packed in the hospital bag as well. I need to add nursing bras (last minute probably) and regular socks to come home in, and possibly another pair of sweats just in case the ones I packed are too big... Will also toss in my brush and hair stuff right before an dneed to add the folder once I have the CHP paperwork filled out...

---------

Getting checked today... hoping forsome good progress...

Wearing a Holter monitor sucks :P I return it after my OB appt but had to wear it since yesterday afternoon. Very hard to sleep with it on! Hopefully they will find all is well, but we'll soon find out.

Looking forward to seeing my cousin tomorrow and an old friend I used to work with on Saturday!

Hope everyone has a great day! :)

[MichelleRenee]

The discomfort continues. I really hate getting up to pee at night because it is painful to get up after laying down for so long.

I still have the groin pain and some lower back pain as well, but I am managing. I am going to call my doctor after lunch today to ask about it. He told me to try to walk 30 minutes a day to manage my weight gain but I want to ask if I should still be walking even when it hurts so bad to be on my feet.

Tonight is our first pre-natal class. (last week's was canceled) Mike is very excited to go and I am too. It's all getting to be so real... I can't believe how far we've all come.....:D

[Mommy2ml]

michellerenee-A chiropractor could help with the pain. Mine was able to improve it imensely. it's not all gone, but much more amangeable and easier for me to walk. Pregnancy really throws your body out of alignment!

[bunnybeth]

Ericka That's quite a cake at your shower, and you're looking great. Must be new-mom glow. :)

marathongirl Yuck, I hope that got cleaned up quickly!

jbemommy Sorry to hear you're on bedrest. Hopefully everything will go well and baby will arrive quickly and safely. :)

---

The whole thing is getting painful/achy for me as well, but my biggest issue is leg cramps, they get terrible, especially by the end of the day. And, my work shoes (flat loafers) have started hurting this week as well. Maybe my feet are swelling? My work is business formal, but I'm thinking about picking up some black casual slip-on shoes to wear from now on. I don't think they'll notice/mind.

Speaking of work, I'm still trying to figure out maternity leave. It looks like I won't be able to take off a couple of weeks before my due date, but rather will have to wait until the little one arrives. So, my new plan is to use sick days here & there when I'm too achy/tired to drag myself out of bed in the morning. If I"m working until I go into labor, I'd at least like to be working 4 day weeks instead of 5.

Everything was normal at the appt yesterday. I go in next week for GBS and then the week after is 36 weeks, so that means weekly appts for me finally. I gained a bit more than usual in the past 2 weeks, but with my shower and birthday I've been eating lots of junk, so I'm not surprised.

This weekend is busy! Baby care class, high school reunion, lunch with a friend, shopping for needed baby stuff (car seat!) and starting to pack my hospital bag. That should keep me occupied. ;)

Please update my age to 28.

Next OB appt is 9/21

[MidwesternGal]

Had my appointment today. The baby has dropped! WAHOO!! That, combined with my contrax, the doc said she's open Sunday, LOL.:p Hopefully I can get through next week, because it's my last of work. That one extra paycheck would be helpful!

Next appointment with u/s is Sept. 21.

Regarding Swelling: A lot of women have told me to eat a lot of bananas/potassium. Maybe some of you experiencing that can try that trick!

[MichelleRenee]

I definitely think Tristan has dropped.

Since the other day my belly has looked a lot lower to me. Add to that my groin pain and the fact that my acid reflux has been *almost* non-existent for the first time in months for the past few days.... so I think it is official. I'm no expert though.

[maplekitty]

OOOh last night I had THE WORST heartburn to date! It started in my chest and then spread to my upper back and it was excruciating! I downed some Tums, I ate a yogurt...nothing helped. I just layed in bed in agony as Curt massaged my back!
He was like "are these contractions?" LOL....no...contrax aren't in your chest sweety! :p

[emermel]

Just checking in...everyone is getting so close!

Had a dr's appt today...had my GBS test-it wasn't so bad...definitely not something I want to do every day, but not miserable. Also had my first internal to find that I'm 3 cm dilated and 40% effaced:eek: :eek: :eek: My dr said that if he had to guess, he'd see me for next week's appointment, but that I'd be delivering before he leaves the country on the 26th:eek: :eek: :eek: OMG OMG OMG!

OK...I'm back under control.

The baby is REALLY low so I am VERY uncomfortable. Every time she moves, it hurts and I have been having LOTS of BH contrax-sometimes painful ones. The contrax aren't regular and don't get worse though, so I've been ignoring them...I guess that they've been moving things along!

So my next appt is scheduled for Sept 21st...hopefully I'll make it to then. I feel like anything before 37 weeks is TOO early.

[Bubeleh]

Just a quick post. I had a U/S & appt today, the baby is definitely on his way. His head is in the pelvis, and I'm 1 cm dialiated with fairly regular contractions. His weight was estimated at 7lbs 4oz. She thinks he will be here within the next week or so. :eek:

Needless to say I need to do some laundry tonight and pack a bag.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Thanks so much bunnybeth. I was amazed at the cake, not what I expected at all.

update - well we signed the apartment lease tonight, we can start moving stuff in now. The guy re-arranged some of the parking, so we actually get one of the close spots to the house, he said since we have a baby, he thought it would be better, and than the other spot is in the back. We met the neighbor that will be moving in right next store. The landlord actually sent out an e-mail, mentioning about us moving in this weekend and how if they see us to say hi, thought that was nice.

Best news is that Easton will probably have his feeding tube removed tomorrow as they are moving him to 8 bottles a day. He got his Hep B shot last night after one of his feeds and than he got circumcised this morning. He doesn't seem to fuss at diaper changes so that's good. Tonight he took his bottle with Jarett and took 48cc's, he is required to have 45cc's at least, so that was nice to hear when I came out from pumping. Than the nurse had us watch this 1987 version of infant CPR, we just had to laugh at this film, cause they really need an updated version, at least something from the 1990's. Tomorrow they want us to bring his carseat and base in so they can test Easton in it, since he is a preemie they check his breathing in the seat. We will watch the car seat video tomorrow as well. They have to sign that you watched those 2 videos.

[marathongirl]

Ericka - that's great news about Easton!

Bubeleh - sounds like you're on your way to mommyhood!

My little girl is going to be 2 years old tomorrow!!! :D :eek: :( Time really flies!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Anyone interested in Babies R Us or Toys R Us coupons? I had gotten 2 Toys R Us catalogs, took the coupons out I wanted and have a full book and than at least 1/2 of another. Same goes for Babies R Us (only got 1 catalog) but took out what I needed and there are still lots of coupons left over.

PM me if interested will get out ASAP, since we are moving tomorrow.

[Mommy2ml]

WOW! Everyone is getting so close!

Erika-Sound like Easton will be coming home really soon! :)
-------------
I am about a fingertip dilated, but the cervix is still too long for membrane stripping. She said maybe next week. She's still set on using the Cytotec if my cervix does not get more favorable, but I am really hopeful that by next week it'll be better!

I just got the ok to wear sneakers to work all the time... I had been putting off askig about it, but the HR lady said absolutely I can without even thinking about it, so that's good :)

6 work days left, 10 full days till induction day!!!! :D

[Quartercentury]

Bubeleh! Sounds like early labor to me! How exciting!

My appointment this morning was fine. Baby is still head down, but not really dropped/engaged. (They have a "fifths palpable" measurement, i.e. how much of the baby's head can be felt above the public bone, and I'm at 4/5, so 80% of the head is still "palpable.") I'm not quite 35 weeks yet, so lots of time for the kid to drop! My blood pressure is up a bit and she noted swelling in my hands and fingers, so they'll be keeping an eye on that. My pelvic joints (front and back) are still hurting quite a bit, so I am going to see an osteopath on Monday and the physiotherapist the Monday after. My next regular appointment is the 4th of October.

[jbemommy]

wooohoo! My cervix is "ripe"--1-2 cm and 50% effaced. I'm going in at 11 to be induced. I am sooo excited to meet this baby.

[lawgirl4]

jbemommy, good luck today!!!!!!! very excited for you! hope all goes well!

[MichelleRenee]

jbemommy, good luck!!!

[marathongirl]

jbemommy - lots of luck! Can't wait to hear about your new addition!

[maplekitty]

Wow sounds like lots of babies are coming soon!! :D

Good Luck jbemommy!!!!

Ericka - Hope Easton gets to come home soon, sounds like he's just motoring along and wants to get out of there fast too! :)

[Ericka_Jarett]

jbemommy - congrats, can't wait to hear what your mystery baby is

[Jenzen01]

Wow! Good luck jbemommy!

Seriously, I can't believe we're having babies! Reality check!

[Roxygirl]

Haven't posted in awhile, but I'm checking in. Had my appointment yesterday and a little upset by it.
I don't know if anyone else has Kaiser coverage, but I haven't been too thrilled through my whole pregnancy. It is a group insurance, so that means I pretty much see someone different everytime and any of them will probably not deliver my baby. The whole time has just seemed so impersonal.
Anyways, yesterday at my appointment I had my Group B strep test and just assumed since they were down there they would check to see if I had progressed. Well the Midwife that I was seeing said they won't do that until 38 or 39 weeks so that was a no go. Then when it came time to make my next appointment, I asked so it's every week now right. She said no Kaiser doesn't believe in seeing you every week it would still be every two weeks. This really surprised me.
Anyways, I was just kind of upset by the whole thing, not what I was expecting I guess.

Sorry for my pity party.

Congrats jbemommy, so excited to see another baby coming in.

[dzmattie]

Wow - good luck jbemommy!!!

Erika - sounds like Easton is doing great with the feeding!! I am so happy for you guys....

Roxy - that does seem different from most situations - I am sorry you are upset. I found though that I was more dependant on the nurses during delivery than the doctor so hopefully having a different doc won't be too bothersome...hang in there.

Marathongirl - Happy birthday Claire! Wow they are exactly 2 years apart - that was how my sister and I were!

QC - BP is so frustrating - watch the swelling and for headaches....I saw an osteopath for my back pain for my first 32 weeks and it really helped....now it is hard for him to do much for me since I can't lay on my back for long without feeling sick - I am supposed to go back again next week. Good luck!

Bubeleh - WOW - how exciting!!

KMM - That would have made me nervous! I always figure it is better to go in and get checked - glad all was well.
---------------------------

Sorry if I missed anyone - Dora is over - have to go!

[Mommy2ml]

jbemommy-Good luck!

Roxygirl-That just sucks! I have not heard good things about Kaiser and this just adds to my mistrust of the whole "group insurance" thing. Seems like they run it more like a business than a health plan :P

[Rippy1010]

First ... good luck, jbemommy! I hope everything goes smoothly.


Okay ... I'm pretty discouraged after today's doctor's appointment. I have had cramping every single night this week, and have now been losing my mucus plug for about two weeks. So, when I had my internal today ... why have I not progressed at all?! :( :mad: I'm jealous of all you ladies that said you had ANY dilation, and ANY effacement. I'm still just softened. The only thing she said that was different from the last internal was that his head is so low, that she had to basically go up under his head to find the opening. I'm still just "softened" but that's it. I was really bummed when I left ... I was hoping all of this cramping and discomfort meant SOMETHING!

My DH (who would not go back in the room with me ... :rolleyes: ), tried to comfort me by saying "maybe you are one of those women who dilates really fast". I doubt it ... I've never known my body to cooperate with me on anything. LOL. :p

Not having a very good all-around day, either. My home computer has a virus, which I cannot get fixed since it freezes as soon as I turn it on. This is not good, seeing as how I was supposed to be working from home while on my maternity leave. So, I didn't bother going to buy my All-in-One today, since there would be nothing to hook it up to. BRU trip was "just okay" ... ended up having to order the glider/ottoman that was supposed to be in stock.

Guess I'll stop complaining now. :o Maybe it's partly the weather. I'm so happy and pleased for all of you ladies that heard news of progression at the doc's office today. I'm just now in the mood that I'm really ready for him to be out of me. I sure hope I don't go late ... I really be ready to kill someone by that point. :o

[She-Ra]

Good Luck jbemommy!

Had my Strep test & internal on Wed. 2 cm dilated. With DS I was 1 cm dilated for 3 weeks, so I'm not to excited yet.

I have the puffiest hobbit-looking feet ever, but my BP is OK & no blood in the urine, so my Dr is not worried. I never had the swelling with DS, but I don't have the sciatica I had with him. Stange how different each PG can be. I hope the weather doesn't turn really cool, as I can only wear flip-flops.

Rippy- I went from 1 cm to 4 cm & giving birth in 5 days, so you really just never know.

[Mommy2ml]

Rippy - The day before I gave birth to my DD I had no progress whatsoever, NO dilation, nothing. so it really does not mean a thing. Though I know how frustrating it could be... DD was born at 1 day short of 41 weeks. :eek:

[maplekitty]

I know you're bummed Rippy, but after reading a few threads in the Pregnancy forum, I've learned that all that dilation, effacement stuff is so varied amongst women that it means nothing! Some women walk around 4 cm dialted for weeks, others dilate from nothing to full dialation within a day and give birth literally overnight from being told they are not dilated. So who knows!!!
I want baby out ASAP too, but I keep telling myself "enjoy the quiet, enjoy the peacefulness while you have it!!" ;)

[Rippy1010]

Thanks, guys! I know you are right!! Thanks for making me keep focused and grounded!!

I think that exhaustion, discomfort, my computer isssues, and the rainy weather have just all come together to make me one really unpleasant person today.

She-Ra ~ The swollen feet ... HEAR YA! They say something about my feet (and legs below the knees) every time I go in to the doctor. Then, they take my BP and it's always perfect (for instance, today was 110/70). I find myself actually wishing sometimes that my BP was raising, just so that there would be a reason for the swelling of feet, legs, and now my hands, too. LOL! The weather is starting to get a little cooler (plus rainy), so Wednesday I finally broke down and went to Payless to get some cheapy athletic shoes (the backless sneakers) in 1-1/2 sizes larger, plus in WIDE. The seem to work okay ... they should get me through.

[MichelleRenee]

Well apparantly I'm an idiot. I've had so much inner thigh/belly pain when standing up but I haven't really mentioned it to my doctor. Last week he told me to try to walk 30 minutes a day to try to help keep my weight gain down. Well finally today I called to ask if I should still be walking even if it is painful and I feel a lot of pressure while on my feet. I just expected a yes or no.... what I got was a referral to a physical therapist. He also mentioned that they will be giving me a "mommy-to-be band" which is basically a support band for my belly.

I feel so dumb for not bringing it up earlier, but every time I bring something up they just say "oh, that's normal...." so I guess I thought everything is normal.

Eating has been going well. I have slipped up a few times and had some fried food and a candy bar, but not so much that it's a big deal. We were at Wal-Mart and I saw some 40 pound bags of salt for sale. Since I have gained a little more than 40 pounds I thought I'd see how heavy that really is... so I just kinda grabbed the corner of the bag to see how heavy it was and OMG.... that is HEAVY!! I can't believe I am carrying around that much extra weight!

[Rippy1010]

MichelleRenee ~ I get the "oh, that's normal" all of the time, too. So, I too always think twice before wanting to bring anything up. :rolleyes:

Isn't it crazy when you really think about how much extra weight we are carrying around? No wonder pregnancy is such a huge stress on our bodies, right? No wonder we get out of breath, and breath harder, and get really sluggish!

[Ericka_Jarett]

EASTON comes home tomorrow

[maplekitty]

That's wonderful Ericka!!!! :D :D

[Bubeleh]

That's great news Ericka!

Congrats JBE, hopefully all went well today.

I've been havin some serious BH all day, fairly consistent. If it keeps up I'm going to call the dr tomorrow. I'm trying to hold out until then becuase we are doing our final shopping trip and laundry tomorrow. Please hang out just a bit longer little man!

[MichelleRenee]

Yay for Easton coming home!!!

Another rough night here. The pain is just so much worse at night after I have been laying down awhile that getting out of bed is very difficult. I am very thankful that I don't have to go down any stairs or anything to use the bathroom!

I had a weird dream about my boobs. As of now they kinda leak one or two drops at a time here and there. In my dream they were gushing milk everywhere! But I was still pregnant. It was making a huge mess and Mike just laughed and laughed at me.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

[She-Ra]

Great news Ericka!

[kenswife]

Yay Ericka!!! What wonderful news!!!!!! I bet you can't wait!


Congrats JBE, hopefully you're holding your little one right now!


I can't believe all these babies ready to make their appearances! How exciting!

As for me, nothing. My Braxton Hicks actually completely STOPPED and I've been feeling especially *good*. I don't know what's going on! I have a feeling I'll be making it pretty close to my due date :rolleyes: This little bugger's comfy in there! :p The only thing is that I feel a ton more pressure lower. I think it's just b/c of his weight though and not b/c he's any lower. It actually is a little difficult to walk. Otherwise, like I said, I'm feeling pretty good. Having to pee every 10 min. kind of stinks but only 3 more weeks to go!!!!

Can't wait to hear about some more arrivals!!!

Oooo....Bubeleh, hoping this is it for you! Sounds promising! Keep us updated ;)

[SlvSpring]

congrats Ericka!!! I am so excited that Easton is coming home with you guys.....yay!!

Hope everything is going smoothly for you, JBEmommy!!!

Bubeleh, keep us updated!!


Not much new going on with me here... had lots of "cramping" type of pain this week and mentioned at my doctor's appt. He said they are probably BH contrax. How do you ladies know if it is BH contrax? I feel like a complete idiot because I cannot tell :o

I've had lots of gastrointestional issues this week as well. I won't go into detail and gross anyone out.

I also just feel really tired a lot of time and it is this weirdest feeling to be just so exhausted (like I have been up all night moving furniture or something) when I really feel like I don't do that much anymore. Oh well.
Sorry to be such a complainer you guys.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

My next appt is Sept 28th and could you change my age to 26 and my DH's age to 28? we both had our birthdays in the last month. thanks.

[KimberDK]

Ericka- CONGRATS!! That is such great news! I really have been thinking about you a lot and waiting with excitement for Easton to be ready to go home. I am so happy for you.

Rippy - I SO know how you feel about being frustrated by no progress. You are actually even better than me, because I am not even softened yet. I am not dilated at all, and not soft at all. And while I am enjoying the sleep and quiet while I have it, I am also anxious to see some progress. Especially since my SIL is due 2 weeks after me, and I have this fear that we will be delivering at the same time and my mom will not be able to be with me the whole time. If I'm a week late and she's a wek early, that puts us at the same time!! Not that it would happen that way, I just don't want it to.

MichelleRenee - Yeah, trying to lift something that weights the same as your weight gain is a major reality check isn't it? When you think about it, even a gallon jug of water is pretty heavy and that is just 8lbs. So you are essentially carrying 5 gallon-jugs of water at all times...or one whole water-cooler container full of water!! And you wonder why your legs hurt??

[Michelle]

Thanks to those of you who helped me out with what to start out with for a newborn! I was have a clothing crisis and I was afraid that I did not have enough stuff! I went out and bought more onsies because I was a bit afraid that I needed more. I'm having a hard time finding long sleeve white onsies though. Everytime I go to get them, they are either sold out or don't carry them! Finally Toys R Us came through for me and has them!

I had a dr appointment Friday and all is well. It was my 36 week appointment, they don't want to see me again until 38 weeks. I also thought that that they would be going to 1 week but they won't do that until after 38 weeks. One thing that does bother me is that they don't do internal exams unless you request them. I figured I would pass on the exam this time, but next time I am definitely going to request one since I'll be 38 weeks.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ericka - Congratulations! I hope you're holding Easton outside the hospital right now!

JBEMommy - I hope you're holding your little one right now!

SlvSpring - You're so not alone on being exhausted!

Kenswife - Glad to hear that you are feeling good!

Bubeleh - Sounds like something is going to happen soon! Keep us posted!

Have a great weekend everybody! :)

[jbemommy]

Steven Douglas ____, Jr. was born 9/16 at 12:05 am! He weighed 6# 13 oz, 20.5 inches long. I don't post pics of my DC online, so you'll have to trust me that he is soooo cute. We were so surprised and excited to have a boy.

Brief birth story: Pitocin started around 12 noon. Water broken around 5:30, contractions got more painful at 7, so got an epidural. The first epidural worked except for the lower part of my right abdomen, at first I was so glad not to feel the rest of me that I thought I'd be ok. But as things got stronger, I was still really uncomfortable, so after trying redosing and repositioning, he actually did a whole new epidural, which worked great! By then it was 10 pm and I was still only 5 cm. My OB felt like the pitocin had been mixed wrong since I wasn't having effective contractions. They started a new bag, and by 11:50 I was complete. I pushed through 4 contractions and he was born 10 minutes later. He did do an episiotomy but I don't think he would have had to. He cried right away, Apgars 8 and 9.

He did great in the hospital, other than about 10 hours yesterday where he didn't want to nurse. I finally put some sugar water on my nipples and he has done great since then. We came home around noon today after his circ, he's been sleeping since that was done.

Juliana seems very excited about him so far. I am just so happy to have him here! Thanks for all the well wishes.

[Pamela]

Congratulations jbemommy!!! How exciting your surprise is a Boy and now you have one of each!

[Rippy1010]

Congratulations on your little boy, jbemommy!!! I'm glad everything went okay ... after the rough start (with the epi problem and the pitocin mix).

Welcome to the world, Steven Douglas! :D

Hope everyone is having a great day!

[dzmattie]

CONGRATULATIONS jbemommy!! Sounds like you guys did great - and I am very interested in hearing about how big sister does with her little brother - my DS is the exact same age as her! Take care of yourself and congratulations!

[Michelle]

Congratulations jbemommy! :D Welcome Steven Douglas!

[Hula1974]

I have been the biggest Group Thread slacker ever, so forgive me!
Just wanted to stop by and update you all on our baby news.
CLAYTON TRAVIS arrived via c-section on Tuesday Sept. 12th at 3:00 pm.
He was 8 lbs, 2.5 oz and 21 inches. It was 37w4d.

I will give a better update soon. Here is me on the way to the hospital (HUGE!) and a pic of Clayton.
http://static.flickr.com/95/245806792_18f4a361cf_m.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/82/245806793_cdb2a4377e_m.jpg

[kenswife]

Wow! Babies galore!!! Congrats JBE and Heather on your little boys!!!!!


YAY!

[Pamela]

Congratulations Hula! He's adorable!!

[Michelle]

Congratulations Hula1974! Welcome Clayton Travis! :D

[Rippy1010]

Congratulations, Hula1974! Happy Birthday, CLAYTON TRAVIS!

[MidwesternGal]

Holy cow, babies are coming fast now! Can I be next?? :)

Congrats to both jbemommy and Hula1974 on their boys!!!!

[SlvSpring]

Wow, so exciting!!! :)
Congrats jbe and hula!!!

Welcome to the world Clayton and Steven!!!

[lawgirl4]

congrats jbemommy and hula!!! hope you are both recovering easily :)

[marathongirl]

Congrats jbe mommy and Hula!!!

Welcome to the world Clayton and Steven!!!

[Nigellas]

Congratulations jbemommy and Hula1974!!! :D:D:D:D

[KMM]

Congrats to jbemommy and Hula1974 on your baby boys!

I had an appt on Thursday- nothing. Cervix is soft but no dilation or effacement yet. BP is good and baby's heartbeat is good and she is still moving around alot- I am getting frequent bulging out where her feet are and I feel like she is going to break through one of these times. She is head down which I am happy about as well.

My next appt is 9/21.

[maplekitty]

Congratulations jbemommy...welcome Steven Douglas!

Congratulations Hula1974...and welcome Clayton Travis!


How exciting!!! :D :D

[dzmattie]

Oooooo -another baby! Congratulations Heather! Welcome Clayton!

Hope you are feeling ok and recovering....take care.

[She-Ra]

Congratulations jbemommy and hula!!!

We are all on our way!!!!!!!

[MichelleRenee]

Congratulations jbemommy and hula!!!

I guess this is officially it! I am so excited to come in and see new birth announcements. Good luck to everyone.... :D

[Quartercentury]

Welcome Steven and Clayton!



Michelle, I am only getting seen every about two weeks, too. I think unless you have a specific problem, there's not ususally a need to be seen more often. Especially when the health care costs are so tightly controlled!

We hired a doula and started baby laundry this weekend... But the whole idea that we're actually having a baby still seems very surreal to me.

[Mommy2ml]

Congrats!!!! to Erika for Easton coming home, and to jbemommy and Hula for the birth of their baby boys! :)

----------------
They set the time for my induction. I have to be at the hospital 5:30am next Monday (9/25 as planned). Now I am really getting nervous!!!!:eek:

So much to plan at this point for Mackie... i had been hoping we could just wake up like usual, maybe a little earlier and take Mackie to school like usual, then have my dad pick her up in the evening... well the d/c opens at 7am, and we have to be at the hospital at 5:30am... meaning Mackie will have to stay over night at my ILs' place and then my dad will have to pick her up from there and take her to school and then pick her up again later on and she'll likely go a good 24hrs or more without seeing us :( It's going to be hard on all of us I think. I was looking forward to getting my hugs and kisses before going to the hospital that morning! We'll work it all out, but I am worried how she's going to handle it. At least I know she will be well cared for and safe and loved.... I just hate being away form her! :(

Today I have my last u/s befor ethe big day, then Thursday I have my last OB appt. Today is my last Monday at work...

OMG!!! I cannot believe we're so close!!!!!:eek:

Anyway, I am both full of energy and exhausted completely at the same time right now. I am soooo anxious and so nervous too... normal I knowm, but still it is so close!

[MidwesternGal]

Nothing new here, I'll post more after doc's appointment on Thursday.

I do have a question regarding contractions: So I've been having pretty irregular contrax the last week or so. Well, yesterday and today they have felt different. Before, they kind of took up my whole abdomen (ie, rib cage area on down). Now, they seem to start lower (around my belly button) and are more in the PMS crampy-area from pre-pregnancy. Are those still contractions? Or just the baby moving around and irritating stuff? (The baby is head way down all ready.) I don't seem to get as "hard" as I did before, either. BUT, they seem be coming a tad bit closer together when I do get them, which makes me wonder. . . . . ?? Anyways, insight would be helpful! Thanks!

[Mommy2ml]

they could be contrax... I remember feeling like I was crampy/constipated for a large portion of the night, then realizing at around 3:15am or so that I was getting that crampy feeling every 15min or so!!! :eek:

It was still a good 13 hours or so before they got very regular and close enough together to head to the hospital though. iirc "real" contrax to really be concerned with at this point, last over a minute long and are 5-7mins apart or closer. Also, the real thing will not lighten up or go away with laying down or drinking water or resting.

If you feel sharp pains, let your doc know cause it could be something else.

HTH!

[Bubeleh]

Welcome Steven and Clayton! How exciting all of these arrivals.

My BH have calmed down significantly, which is great for me because I was able to get a lot done this weekend. All the bags are packed, all the laundry is done, everything is assembled, and we got the car seat inspected. I'm just crossing my fingers that he holds out until atleast Thursday so DH can go on his business trip Tues-Wed. Its close by within 2 hours, but its important for the Co. that he goes.

I think I lost my plug over the weekend, but it wasn't brown so I'm not sure. It was more off white and thick. Anyone else have something like that?

[Mommy2ml]

yup - off white and thick - kind of mucousy. I have been getting that on and off for over a week or 2 though... could mean something or nothing... the plug can grow back or it can come out very gradually and slowly, or not at all.

[dzmattie]

Hey Ladies -

Just back from my doctor's appt and my BP was high - 130/90 - so we might be seeing this baby much earlier than planned. Doc wants to see how I do with reduced activity till Wednesday and they did a bunch of blood work. He would like to see me make it till next week but isn't willing to take any chances.

We will see.....

[maplekitty]

Morning ladies!

Doc appnt went well this morning. All routine as usual.
BP is 120/80, the same as every other week for the past 2 months, heh. Baby's HR was 137, way down from the usual 150, but doc said she's probably just sleeping.
Had a Strep B swab, and an internal - everything is closed and long, no progression....ho hum.
Went over my Birth Preferences and she's onboard with everything and says that it is very reasonable requests.

So, baby is still growing "large-ish", and we just wait and see what the OBGYN says at monday's appnt, but my doc knows that I really want to atleast try labour if possible.

OBGYN and regular doctor visit on the 25th.

[TaterBaby]

Welcome Home, Easton! Welcome Steven & Clayton!

I had an OB appointment on Friday and everything looks fine - BP, weight, urine. It was my 2nd internal exam and I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I have a feeling I'm going all the way to 40 weeks. My OB is on call the weekend of the 6-8th. I really want her there for delivery so those are possible dates for induction if nothing happens before then. Next appointment is 9/25.

[Nigellas]

Well, I’m cerclage free a week early – After having sharp, stabbing pains in my cervix, I went to see my OB this morning – She said that my cervix was trying to open against the stitch that was giving me the pain. She decided to take it out early rather than risk having my cervix tear. She said things could happen quickly, or it could take weeks – there is no way of knowing for sure – I’m only 1 cm dilated, though 90% effaced and the kid is at 0 station. Hopefully he stays in for at least another week, since I’ll only be 35 weeks tomorrow, but I’m super grateful we have made it this far considering all of our problems.

[MichelleRenee]

My physical therapy appointment went well. I got a "Mother-to-Be Belt" which work very differently than the other support belts I have seen out there. It seems like it will help with the pain/pressure a lot!

I'll admit though... I am a little sad that I just went toget a maternity belt today while others in this thread are already mommies. I feel like I still have forever to wait....

[Bubeleh]

Thanks for the feedback on the plug!

[lawgirl4]

mommy2ml - obviously, all kids are different, but I was about Mackie's age when my little sister was born. I stayed with my grandparents (in Queens, actually - that's where you are, yes?) and I mostly remember just being excited that I would get to meet "my" new baby soon. :) Is Mackie generally excited about the new baby? if so, hopefully she'll be just fine if she has to spend 24hrs away from you guys...

[Ericka_Jarett]

hi ladies

Welcome Steven and Clayton!!

We are in the apartment now and Easton has just been so good. He sleeps well at night, gets up for feedings and than right back to sleep. should be able to have his peds appt soon, since I have to call the SCN with his doc's name & number tomorrow.

We went to Ikea on Sunday, got all the organizers, coffee table, couch & kitchen table picked out, got a bookcase as well. Jarett put most of the stuff together, but the bathroom linen organizer and coffee table. I have been busy with Easton and organized the kitchen and part of the bedroom so far, tomorow Jarett goes back to work and I call the peds, SCN, get working on the bathroom, part of the livingroom and getting clothes organized for Easton. Good thing it's still warm out, he only has preemie onesies that really fit him and since his cord stump is almost ready to come off (little blood around it yesterday & today) he sleeps in side snap shirts. Have to get my nail files out for his nails, he was scratching his face up today a little, had to find his mitts.

But things are great and we are loving this little guy.

[Rippy1010]

Ericka ~ I'm so glad things are going so well for you, and Jarrett, and especially little Easton. By the time the rest of us start having our babies, you'll be the "old pro" at this. :D Sounds like things are really moving along with the apartment. I'm so excited for you that everything worked out!

[lawgirl4]

Ericka - just wanted to echo rippy's sentiments - so glad that things are going well for you guys! :)

[Jenzen01]

Wow! It's baby time!

Congrats jbemommy and hula!

I was off yesterday because DS woke up with croup. That was a new one for me ... really no big deal, however. After sitting in the bathroom with the hot water running, he was much better. I took the day off, just in case, and we wound up having a really great day together.

As for me, I've been crampy a lot lately. I had menstrual-like cramps from about 1 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. on Saturday night, which inspired me to pack my bags. I'm also getting lots of uncomfortable BHs. I had four this morning just while I was eating my cereal. They sort of come in spurts with no rhyme or reason, so I'm not paying much attention to them. However, as uncomfortable as they're getting, they better be doing something!

I have a dr. appointment this afternoon. I'm hoping he'll do an internal, but that's not a given because I'm just 36 weeks. However, I delivered Gabe at 37 weeks, so maybe I convince him to check me. :)

Jen

[She-Ra]

Nigellas: Glad to hear you are 35 weeks now! I hope baby stays in just a bit longer!

[Mommy2ml]

Lawgirl-yes, she is very excited!! HAlf the time she calls him HER baby, too :) I am pretty sure when it comes down to it I will be more upset beign away from her for so long than she will be LOL I have already begun talking to her about it all and she seems quite excited about another sleep over and all that.

Erika-I'm so glad things are working out so well for you! :)

Jenzen-I have also been getting all that cramping and discomfort and pains, etc... and it's inspired me to finish up with my packing too LOL
------------
Last u/s was done yesterday and all is still quite well. They're guestimating the baby to be around 6.5lbs. I take their guestimate with a grain of salt... but it's nice to know the guestimate puts him right around where Mackie was at birth (she was 6lbs10oz) maybe even a little bigger perhaps... His head is very much engaged so he's probably done with all that flipping aorund he was doing. His movements have been slowing down and becomming fewer and further between... seems like it's getting close to that time!

Did I mention I have to be at the hospital 5:30am on Monday?!!!! I am still reeling. I suppose it's better that way sinc eI am less likely to get bumped... but still!!! Oh well... I am sure to not be sleeping too great that night before anyway...

I have been considering getting an epidural after all and getting it early on. I am being induced anyway, why not be comfy and sit back, sleep/rest/watch tv and such till it's time to push? Stil not totally decided, but we'll see how things go.

A week from now I will be holding my precious new little boy in my arms!!! So hard to believe how fast time has been flying by!

My mom says in the past week the baby looks like he's dropped a LOT. I can definitely feel it, that's for sure!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Easton's first peds appt is tomorrow morning.

[marathongirl]

ericka - so happy to hear Easton is home and things are going well with your apartment!

OB appt for me this afternoon so I'll update more later.

[jbemommy]

Yeah for being home, Ericka! Glad all is going well.
Congrats on your little boy, Hula.

Steven had his first appt this am. He's only lost 5 oz (DD lost 12 by this point). My milk has started to come in already, and he's doing much better with nursing than she did at this age. He is really good most of the time, except for that critical 3am-6am time period. I have been getting sleep in 1 or 2 hour increments, so I'm pretty tired. DD is so cute with him.

[Maxicat]

Wow so many babies already.
Congratulations to the new mommy's.

I had my GBS test last week. I am now on weekly appointments.

I also found out last week that my Dr is 37 weeks pg. I can't believe I did not know. Either that lab coat hides a lot (I must get one) or I am completely self-involved (most likely scenario).

I am now concerned about who is going to deliver my baby (self-involved). My Dr always said it would probably be her, but seriously really? I have not met any of the other Doctors in the practice, which I guess is ok, but I really like my Dr and I am not all that comfortable with having just anyone's head and hands poking around down there.

I guess it will all work out. But I can't believe I never figured this would happen. I always try to prep for all scenarios so I am never surprised.

[Mommy2ml]

Maxicat - A friend of mine actually got delivered by her doc just a couple of weeks before her doc gave birth... so you never know! :)